The music of The Monochrome Set has retained a consistency of wit, quality, and uniqueness for nearly five decades. Things are no different on the band's newest album, Allhallowtide. The release, out today on Tapete, finds Bid and crew offering up one of their warmest records of recent years, all while advancing their own style in subtle ways.
Tunes here like "Ballad of The Flaming Man" erupt with a familiar brightness, the hooks nearly soaring ones at times, while the ballad-y "My Deep Shoreline" marries that approach with a wholly personal lyrical touch. Bid's vocals here are wonderful, both vulnerable and assertive, with the lyrics anchored in hooks that carry the thing forward assuredly. Elsewhere, "Hello, Save Me" is more direct in terms of the riffs, with a splendidly catchy chorus wrapped up in there too. The songwriting here favors this mix of the ornate and forceful, with the output of The Monochrome Set in 2022 still sounding like no one else's out there, really.
Allhallowtide seems like one of the more straightforward Monochrome Set sets in a bit, though that's not to suggest that anything in Bid's wizardry has been diminished. No, what's really apparent this time around is just how confident this crew remains in this era, still as able to redefine indie, while nicking a bit of the Sixties ("Resplendent in a Darkness") for attitude and style at times. All that is to say that Allhallowtide seems to me remarkably consistent, and the sort of Monocrhome Set release that's as highly recommended for old-time fans as it is for anyone wanting to be indoctrinated into this fannish cult for the very first time.
Allhallowtide is out today via Tapete.
[Photo: Ruth Tidmarsh]