Nick Monaco continues to hone his fusion of disco, funk, and glam rock on his likable third LP, and while it's perhaps more of the same from the wounded lothario, Monaco's infectious bass grooves and natural charisma easily carry the day.
Less virtuosic than Thundercat and less manic than Squarepusher, Monaco nonetheless borrows from both in his confidently strutting bass lines, matching them with his own amusing take on hedonism and party culture. It's a clear-eyed perspective however, one familiar with the results of abuse and over-indulgence. Press material reveals that Monaco's co-writer Emmet Kai lost a cousin to heroin addiction during the recording process, and these darker undertones give the album a mature, world-weary vibe that undercuts what in lesser hands could have been a set of flippant sex jams.
That said, the album is still dripping in sex, featuring track titles like "Two Thighs" and "Pink Pussies In My Dreams," but it's never distasteful, and Monaco's amusingly louche persona sells it completely. "British Girls," with its panty-drawer stock-taking, is an early highlight that kicks off a very strong four-track core that includes the sly bounce of "Heat" and the deliciously vintage-sounding "Sex Scene," the instrumentation of which sounds like it was lifted from exactly that.
Indeed, the entire album has a rich, analogue production style that only adds to the sensuousness of things. If you've liked recent work by Børns, but crave something a bit less ornate and a lot more R-rated, check out this latest from Monaco.
(Unisex)Less virtuosic than Thundercat and less manic than Squarepusher, Monaco nonetheless borrows from both in his confidently strutting bass lines, matching them with his own amusing take on hedonism and party culture. It's a clear-eyed perspective however, one familiar with the results of abuse and over-indulgence. Press material reveals that Monaco's co-writer Emmet Kai lost a cousin to heroin addiction during the recording process, and these darker undertones give the album a mature, world-weary vibe that undercuts what in lesser hands could have been a set of flippant sex jams.
That said, the album is still dripping in sex, featuring track titles like "Two Thighs" and "Pink Pussies In My Dreams," but it's never distasteful, and Monaco's amusingly louche persona sells it completely. "British Girls," with its panty-drawer stock-taking, is an early highlight that kicks off a very strong four-track core that includes the sly bounce of "Heat" and the deliciously vintage-sounding "Sex Scene," the instrumentation of which sounds like it was lifted from exactly that.
Indeed, the entire album has a rich, analogue production style that only adds to the sensuousness of things. If you've liked recent work by Børns, but crave something a bit less ornate and a lot more R-rated, check out this latest from Monaco.