The Monochrome Set have enjoyed a career that's spanned multiple decades, numerous genre surges, and a whole history of Brit indie. That the band have thrived for so long is nothing short of amazing. That they continue to produce invigorating rock, like on new album, Cosmonaut, out Friday via Tapete Records, is something to be supremely thankful for.
Getting things off to a spry start, the title cut bounces along, while "Suddenly, Last Autumn" offers up a semi-wistful vibe. Elsewhere, the nearly Smiths-like "Put It On The Altar" charms, while the lyrical and wildly melodic "Tigress" sounds as good as some lost Zombies track. The wonderfully-named "Stick Your Hand Up If You're Louche" is as good as its title, and the peppy "Fele" serves, one imagines, as a sort of tribute to the musician of the same name. "Lost In My Own Room, Dreaming" melds the hooks of U.K. post-punk with a Beat Era-kind of chord progression, complete with a few Yardbirds-style guitar licks.
Uniformly inventive and lively, Cosmonaut is, as album number 13, yet another addition to the superb catalog of this batch of legends. The Monochrome Set are still making distinctive music that should well please fans of both their early stuff and those who are new converts thanks to the strength of their recent material.
Cosmonaut by The Monochrome Set is out on Friday via Tapete Records. Follow The Monochrome Set via the band's official Facebook page.
[Photo credit: Chris Dixon]