We first introduced you to the infectious sounds of indie-pop’s MONACO back in November with their sun-soaked “Such A Vibe,” then again a month later with their dreamy track, “Blush.” Now, the band is preparing for world domination with new single, “Blondes,” taken from their forthcoming debut EP, The Daydream.
A lot has happened within the past eight months for these guys and the allure of hearing what they’ve been cooking up in the studio has been palpable for listeners around the globe. Between lineup changes, big music video and EP plans plus dreams of being a household name like their predecessors, the sky isn’t even the limit for these guys; it goes beyond that.
In honor of the release of “Blondes” – which we are excited to be premiering here at TDL today – we had the chance to chat with frontman, Daniel Davis, on all things music, marriage, community, and future plans.
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I’m so happy things are officially starting for you guys! Give us a breakdown of how this whole MONACO process started.
Thank you so much! MONACO originally was supposed to be my solo project back in college. I had a lot of ideas but never met anyone who shared the same musical interests as me. Fast forward a few years, I move to California. I had written the song “Such a Vibe” a few months after getting married. I had a few song drafts that were never quite finished. Much of it in the dream-pop/indie rock vein. I didn’t even promote the song, only shared it on Instagram.
The song picked up pretty well, a lot of kids discovered the song and showed their friends, and quickly word spread. People started asking if we were gonna tour their city, state, and for some… even their country. I knew I had to audition band members because this quickly became bigger than myself. As of spring this year we solidified our core line-up! Now we have myself, Jared, Josh, and Paul.
“Such A Vibe” is aptly titled and it created something special for you guys. You’ve stated that it was just an introduction, but for those who are hoping it sticks around, can you give us an idea on where, or if, we will be seeing it spread its wings in the future?
Yeah! We will have a more updated version of the song on our upcoming EP. It still stays true to form, and we haven’t taken away from it, except updating production elements and some instrumental parts. We wanted to stay true to the spirit of the song for everyone who truly connected with it.
I have to say, it’s so refreshing to see an artist pretty much dedicate just about every song to his wife. It gives those searching for love some hope and it teaches men out there to step up their game! Your new single, “Blondes,” only gives us a snapshot of the story of how you met your wife. Care to make her day and elaborate? 😉
“Blondes” serves as an introduction to the story of how I met my wife. It provides the backdrop of what life was like before I met her. I was finishing college, was young and single, but grew tired of the dating scene. Cat and mouse is only fun for so long. Eventually you realize your heart longs for something more meaningful, authentic, and ultimately genuine. I was in a serious transition in my life, planning to move out here to California, and all of a sudden an old flame pops back into the picture. You’re excited at first until you remember why things ended. Ultimately you have to make a decision to just move on and stay hopeful for the best.
All the events in the song actually happened, but I’ll let you decide which person’s name was real. Only one of those names are not fictional, haha.
Your upcoming debut EP, The Daydream, is going to be fire! What can you tell us about it and the writing process?
Sure! We’re wrapping up production on it right now. I write all of our songs as well as produce it in my studio. Most of these songs start out as voice memos of me humming into my iPhone and beat boxing poorly. I then start playing them out on guitar and keys, then flesh out the rest of the instrumentation myself. I show it to the guys and they help me bring it to life for the live shows.
A lot of these songs were already written, so you’ll hear more of their flavor on future releases. But if you come out to a live show, you’ll hear a lot of how our sound is growing and evolving.
Right from the start, you’ve managed to cultivate a solid fanbase that feels more like family. We’ve witnessed this happen with LANY, The Maine, etc. What do you hope MONACO symbolizes for people? Where do you hope this journey takes you and your listeners?
It’s so wild to me because our MONACO family has often compared us to some of our favorite bands. I grew up listening to The Maine in high school. Their music was the soundtrack to a lot of my teenage memories and relationships. I discovered LANY in college. While these two bands may not be a direct influence musically, it’s pretty rad to see how people have gravitated to us in a similar way, some even putting us up their with them as one of their favorite bands.
People have already made MONACO into a family symbol, and that to me is such a sacred and beautiful thing. I hope along our journey with them, we can continue to develop that on a broader scale. People need a place where they feel like they belong, and hopefully the more shows we play, people feel that way. It is extremely humbling since we are still brand new and laying the foundation. It’s just a testimony to how blessed we are. We definitely don’t take it for granted.
Let’s put good vibes into the universe! Name 3 artists you’d kill to tour/collaborate with!
Definitely Walk The Moon, LANY would be rad of course, and Bad Suns would be a dream.
We’re nosy and love to know what our favorites are listening to! What are your top 5 tracks at the moment?
My top 5 as of right now:
Muna – “Number One Fan”
Hospital – “Secret Place”
The Montreals – “deadheads.”
CRUISR – “Get Out”
The Hearts – “Lips”
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Check out the premiere of “Blondes” below:
https://soundcloud.com/wearemonaco/blondes/s-NAzhv
Wow, this is fantastic! Looking forward to hear more.