Violence is the language of people who don’t believe in the power of word. Music is the language of people who know their message will be carried beyond the barriers between cultures. Sometimes when I see a child being punished for their dreams, I wonder what the punisher is really afraid of. The Child?
Hailing from the Faroe Islands and Denmark, MonkeyRat is a 4-headed band creating funky blend of music best described as genre-defying and invigorating. The band’s roots grew out of a love story – the seed for the musical future was planted when frontwoman Anna Iachino met and fell for Arnold Ludvig, a composer and bass virtuoso. The band came to be in 2006 with the now married couple. Two more members joined forces, namely drummer Jens Stoklund and guitarist-vocalist Alain Apaloo. The dynamic quartet pulls influences from a large variety of sources, both funk legends like Prince and James Brown, and classics from other genres such as Bob Marley and Rage Against The Machine. So far the band has two full-lengths and a slew of singles, all of which introduce that well-established dynamic energy with strong cinematic vibe.
“MonkeyRat is a multi-genre band rooted mainly in Funk, because I love to dance. However, as a poet that experienced trauma, I don’t limit myself to only one musical genre. The words and the meaning of the song lend themselves to the style of music. It’s quite magical and mysterious how that happens. In 2020, MonkeyRat released Good Morning Reykjavík, a real funkbanger and the 1st time we incorporated Ableton Live in the production. Arnold Ludvig got inspired one day and decided to compose music only on Ableton Live. He remembered the binders filled with my poetry. Unbeknownst to him was that as he was composing the music to The Child, I chose the very same poem to be read at my mothers funeral. Truly this song was meant to find its place and finally be heard after all these years.”
Anna Iachino
“The Child“, poem and now the band’s newest single, takes a break from dancy feeling. Instead, it invites for a stroll down into the memories and associated emotions. “The Child” is a tale heavy with sorrow and heartbreak. The poem that became the basis of the single was written by Anna Iachino when she was an early teen in response to having her dreams of becoming a dancer crushed, witnessing her inner child fading into the ether. The heartbreak is carried out perfectly by the featured singer Anna Sofía Skoradal, whose vocals channel that immeasurable pain, singing it out with immense, but well-tamed power. It’s that force behind her singing voice that really captivates and turns the song into a vividly emotional farewell to the inner child, lost forever. A memorial in the form of a song.
Must-hear for anyone who loves beautiful vocals and the gentle emotional side of electropop ballads.
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You can obviously find it in the following Playlists: Less Than 1,000 Followers, Fresh Singles, Indie Only, Female Rising Stars, Chill – Folk – Acoustic, and 12 New Songs This Week.
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