Band: MONDRARY
For fans of: Mouthing, Nuvolascura, Blind Girls, Febuary, Welcome The Plague Year, Clay Birds, and Shoganai.
Genres: Punk / Hardcore / Post-Hardcore / Metallic Hardcore / Emo / Screamo / Skramz / Emo-violence
For fans of: Mouthing, Nuvolascura, Blind Girls, Febuary, Welcome The Plague Year, Clay Birds, and Shoganai.
Genres: Punk / Hardcore / Post-Hardcore / Metallic Hardcore / Emo / Screamo / Skramz / Emo-violence
Related artists: ?.
Country: Baltimore, Maryland U.S.A.
Years Active: 2024-present
Country: Baltimore, Maryland U.S.A.
Years Active: 2024-present
Label(s): Self Released
I only heard MONDRARY at the tail-end of 2024 despite their debut six-track EP '...and the trees fell quiet' coming out in April. Don't worry I certainly made it for my lateness by jamming the shit out of it during November and December. Their chaotic/screamy and sometimes post-hardcore/singy combo is a welcome curveball from the typical screamo tropes. Sure they've still got annihilating screams, frantic freakouts, and angular instrumentals, but the constant question of "is this crazy bit going to lead into a quiet bit?" tends to leave me near the edge of my literal and figurative seat.
Tracks one to three are combine for just five-and-a-half minutes of material but holy smokes is a lot compacted down into that little time cube. Opener "Pins" is 59 seconds of eerie, gorgeous instrumentals that lead into "Needles" which dices up the opener in no time, relying on jarring rhythms and lotsa screaming until that first emo/post-rock break at the 40-second mark, with the back-half of the song dipping back into anger and violence. Title track "...and the trees fell quiet" is another banger with two sneaky soft bits wrapped around the first inclusion of dual vocals. Things really get nuts on the backend of this release, as track four's "Bleed Me Dry, Sapphire!" puts the vocals at the forefront with a catchy, sassy, and wicked intro while the final moments of the song have the screaming coming apart at the seems in the most volatile fashion imaginable. "Paraffin" is another song that goes for jugular and is vintage screamo using dark and ominous tones...fuckin' love it. Closer "Animus" is arguably the most put-together song on the album, with many shifts and excellent transitions that create a seamless piece of work, with my favourite section being introductory build once the vocals chime in and the throat-shredding conclusion.
This was definitely a slept on release but they'll likely make more waves as I've heard some of the band's new material and it is fantastic. Expect that summer/fall 2025!
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DISCOGRAPHY
2024 - ...and the trees fell quiet digital EP (stream/donate/download here)
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(2024) MONDRARY - "Bleed Me Dry, Sapphire" (from '...and the trees fell quiet')
(2024) MONDRARY - "Paraffin" (from '...and the trees fell quiet')
(2024) MONDRARY - "Animus" (from '...and the trees fell quiet')
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