Review by Patrick Joseph & Staff
“Pastel Shades” open with an extremely smooth R&B feel. Staccato guitar rhythms sit nicely over an understated drum and bass groove. Sultry vocals create a smoky mood and feel to the song. Brilliant harmonic progression creates an emotional bed over which the song evolves, allowing it to package tons of energy within a mellow sound. The music seems to want to break through the seams of this song, but Monkey Rat wisely keeps it contained, stirring the pot and allowing the energy to simmer.
Lyrically “Pastel Shades feat roWan” is ambiguous and poetic. “Because I felt you, Making love in our Pastel Shades.” The mood of the music injects these lyrics with a poignant emotion. “Dreams distant colors, nothing is as it seems, I dream of memories” There is certainly a dreamlike quality to the music which matches these lyrics perfectly. “Hearts collided in flight, resurfacing anew.” The soulful vocal delivery is infectious.
“Pastel Shades feat roWan” is undeniably well done. Listeners will love the groove and feeling of the song. roWan’s vocals are amazing here. They deliver excitement and sincerity, sitting confidently on top of the music. Intricately harmonized vocals offer a huge pay off at the end of the song.
Monkey Rat is able to find new dynamic peaks without resorting to sheer volume. This song is amazingly dense. A lower register guitar solo adds a jazzy feeling while complex drum sounds create a “rawness”. All pieces fit together in a unique and fresh way. “Pastel Shades feat roWan” is a powerful piece of art packaged as a fever dream.
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About MonkeyRat More good news for funky & multi-genre band MonkeyRat! MonkeyRat’s funkpop banger hit song, “Good Morning Reykjavík” got over 1 million views on TikTok, more than 90 videos were created, with over 5000 video shares, more than 160,000 likes, and over 2000 comments. Isaac Banks Daily Top 10 Tracks on VALLEY FM 89.5 (Australia) (21 Nov) had “Good Morning Reykjavík at #1 on the top of the charts.
On November 7th MonkeyRat’s “U Gotta Love Being U ft. Alain Apaloo received radio airplay on TOKOVL, on Unsigned Artist Radio Show at 4pm EDT with host Kbreaz1 and “Good Morning Reykjavík” got aired on September 12th. TOKOVL is the 350th Affiliate for comedian, actress, and television host, Sheryl Underwood Radio Show, in St. Louis, MO. In October, MonkeyRat toured around the Faroe Islands with their musicians from Copenhagen, Denmark promoting their latest hit singles of 2020 on Tutl Records. In September, MonkeyRat received a Musician Spotlight on Out Now Magazine for, “U Gotta Love Being U ft. Alain Apaloo. It was selected for a free entry into the 2020 International Songwriting Competition (ISC). MonkeyRat entered their song via ReverbNation for the chance to be randomly selected, and they were one of the lucky ones.
Songwriter/vocalist, Anna Iachino, front woman of MonkeyRat’s hard work in promoting their latest releases is paying off. MonkeyRat received more great reviews, this time from Indie-Spoonful with this quote, “U Gotta Love Being U by MonkeyRat ft. Alain Apaloo is a powerful and moving song”. HerSong Music Blog’s review for , Good Morning Reykjavík quote, “Electric guitar riffs are reminiscent of the Artist Known As Prince”. Both reviews are affiliates of BWH music group. In August, MonkeyRat’s, “U Gotta Love Being U ft. Alain Apaloo” was added into rotation on WNIR, World National Indie Radio’s, ‘Best Songs of Summer’ radio show for the entire month. “Good Morning Reykjavík” was added into rotation on WNIR’s, HerSong Radio show, for female artists only, where it aired twice daily for 2 weeks.
WNIR airs worldwide in the US, Australia, Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, the UK and more, giving MonkeyRat international radio airplay Listen to MonkeyRat’s latest songs, “U Gotta Love Being U ft. Alain Apaloo”, a pop/singer-songwriter/soul-folk song with a positive message and super funky, “Good Morning Reykjavík”, a track that will surely move your feet. Check out their latest videos and reviews – enjoy!