Interview: Monarchy

monarchy

Only a few artists recently grabbed our attention as irresistebly as Britain’s sensational but secret pop duo Monarchy did with their fantastic wide-screen pop smacking of sweet intoxicating mysteries. Actually tonight should be the date of their first live gig ever at London’s Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen, but instead of showing up in East-London they’re currently sitting around in a studio somewhere in the US – to quote their press manager James Penycate, “they’ve been flown out to states to work with a couple of megastars.”

So we can expect even greater things to come. Til then we still have their debut single Black The Colour Of My Heart / Gold In the Fire, that will be released as 7″ via brilliant Neon Gold on February 1 (pre-order it from Pure Groove here). To bridge the time gap til then we loaded our spaceship with some questions and let it fly to the unknown galaxy*, where such cosmic music is made. This is what came back:

What inspired you to start MONARCHY?
We didn’t really decide to start Monarchy, it just chose us out of a series of random coincidences. Maybe it’s our birthright or destiny, or maybe an affliction from birth, maybe the stars aligned, however it happened, we ended up together making this music as Monarchy without conscious thought.

What is the highest moral concept you follow?
To be true to yourself. If you are honest with yourself and your deepest feelings, all else will follow.

Who’s your favourite person in history?
Genghis Khan.

What’s your favourite sonic gadget?
Protools. It’s also our least favourite. Microphones come in handy, too.

What’s your favourite sound?
The sound of galaxies imploding from a couple of million light years away, with the radiation spectrum transposed into auditory frequencies. Sounds lush. White noise is a close second.

What was the first music you ever listened to?
The sound of our mother’s womb, pulsating in the darkness, keeping us warm and nourished. It’s been a struggle ever since.

What do you see when you look into each other’s eyes?
Ourselves.

As experts of the hidden, what’s your favourite Halloween/carnival costume?
We don’t wear costumes.

Are you democratically organized as a band or is one of you the other’s Sun King?
We have our own form of democracy based on our personalities and how we interact with each other.

If MONARCHY would rule the world, what would be different than now?
Less apathy, less bureaucracy, higher literacy and individual awareness and freedom. Democracy today is a farce, it’s dead, a veneer of equality that has been undermined for decades until it’s a shell of its former self.

Which song of another artists would you wish to have written yourselves?
There’s so many, but ‘I’m Not In Love‘ by 10CC springs to mind.

After a decade of stylistic coexistence which music will dominate the next ten years?
I suspect free music will be very popular.

…and will the British ever stop loving their monarchy?
About the same time as there’s peace on Earth.

*We know that someone already discovered the band’s former project/name, but why don’t you look this up for yourselves? We don’t want to destroy this nice concept.

More: