Concert Review: Monakr Ignite A Pop Apocalypse At Bowery Ballroom

Monakr left me in awe. While the night was headlined by Mew, this Chicago band proved why the opener is always worth the ticket. I knew they had won the crowd when, as their concert progressed, more phones lit up to instagram their performance. Hence, they got the “social media” equivalent of “I like you. I really like you”.

Monakr’s music is like a pop- apocalypse. Every song felt giant and final; as if lead Matthew Santos  is making an orchestrated declaration that “Ophelia” has torn him apart and that “History” always fails by repetition. While most listeners associate rhythm with beats, Matthew’s vocals has its own rhythmic frequency. He might as well have a Motown album with all the ooo’s and aahh’s he casually dropped in songs such as Massive Attack’s “Teardrop” and “Diamond”. The crowd, definitely, approved and, at the very least, me and the guy next to me “Woo-hooed” in awe. It feels so special to hear a man sing with as rich and wrought a voice as commonly associated with female singers. Often, we look to Adele or Beyonce to give us “vocal feels” and turn a riffed note into a nebulous of praise-worthy sounds. Yet, like Bruno Mars, Matthew Santos shows that men can do the same, and scale their vocal registers for inspiring octaves and sentiments. To hear Sam Hagshenas sing is like eating your favorite candy, and hearing your mind repeatedly say, “Mhm! Delicious!”. He was simply a treat, which is why his voice brought out the sweetness of pop, and Monakr’s arrangements brought out its dark-side.

Monakr’s music played to the bigness of sound and opus of thoughts that plague when we think we have been “gotten” again. When I say “gotten”, I mean every moment when you thought “life” or a situation was “in the bag” in going towards your favor, but then it did not. From love to delusion, our memories can be filled with as many “moments” we thought we would have compared to the ones we actually did. Hence, Monakr’s instrumentals feel like a battalion of emotions have been let loose with each drum-roll being a kick to the gut, each synth-wave being a sweet yell from your heart, and each key a double-edged sword to your mind. These men aim for high octane sensory, and with Matthew’s voice, they achieve it. They completely understand that every show should be an epic one, and every sound should feel like universe went into its manifestation. Thus, for a pop-apocalypse of music and more information on Monakr Click Here.