Consider Mona Evie the free-spirited younger sibling in Vietnam’s vibrant experimental music scene. While their songs are just as sprawling as that of Rắn Cạp Đuôi or Tran Uy Duc, Mona Evie go further in embracing scrappiness: You can hear that across their statement-making debut LP Chó ngồi đáy giếng, whose 13-minute closer scampers audaciously through industrial noise, austere drones, and what seems like multiple pop songs. “Madhatter,” their new one-off single, feels like a concise take on their collaged ambitions. It begins in dreamlike terrain, with digitized birdsong fluttering atop swirling ambience and jazzy drums. “Let me into your heart,” singer Aprxel intones, her hazy voice trailing upwards atop tumbling beats and rustling metallophones. The song gradually becomes more scrambled, as tape loops and off-kilter piano segue into searing electric guitar melodies. When Aprxel asks, “What can I do to know you? What can I do to show you my love?” it sounds like she’s bringing you down the rabbit hole of desire, a journey of otherworldly psychedelia.
Content
This content can also be viewed on the site it originates from.
