A Quick Chat with Low Monroe
What are the origins of Low Monroe? Where and how did it start?
The project officially became public in November of 2022, coming off the release of my debut single ‘Second Try Theme’. Prior to the inception, I had been writing for quite a bit time, internally trying to establish a style and sound. It took quite some time, it was gruelling and isolating kick starting something out of thin air, but I simply looked at what was already in front of me and expanded. I have a massive love for cinema and symbolism within many mediums. During the early embers of pre-Low Monroe, I really fell in love with Old Hollywood Noir, diving deeper into the genre and taking inspiration from a narrative and aesthetic standpoint. Following the antagonist and watching their end slowing crawl towards them became so fascinating to me, and reflected in my lyrics.
Previously I had written and released music under my mundane/birth name, however it felt really odd promoting myself in such a way. I knew I wanted to dawn a stage name to have certain facets of my personal life separated and more room for un-judged self expression. I was inspired greatly by Naarms very own, Cong Josie. The way he adopts the character and entertains with so much fury resonated deeply. The next step was the fathomless task of coming up with a name... I have stories that I’m not overly comfortable sharing but to briefly gloss over, the name ‘Monroe’ kept appearing in very low points of either my life or scenarios I witnessed. A particular moment occurred, and from there I knew the Low Monroe alter ego had a pulse.
Sonically, I swayed in the direction of gloomier music. I started listening to a lot of post-punk/goth rock from the late 70s to early 80s, and contrastingly have always had an admiration for slow doom jazz. Fundamentally, the genres played games tug of war within me until a level of democracy was met.
Tell us a bit about the new single. What does it mean to you?
‘Exxon Tears’ narratively stays true to the Low Monroe noir writing approach, following themes of exploitation and how fatal pseudo love can be. During the making of this song, I kept stumbling on articles documenting the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill. I found it so fascinating, and how in part the catastrophe occurred from overworking crew. In relation to the song, the Exxon Valdez is a metaphor for how selfishness can vastly pour and do so much harm. However story wise, it’s referenced as a point of reason. The song is written as a confrontational cry for help, and the consequences of speaking up to your boss. This is definitely painted in a more brooding light with the sung themes of crime, violence and corruption.
The track progressively turned into a danceable desert post punk song. During the early days of recording ‘Exxon Tears’, I was listening to a lot of industrial synth pop like Fad Gadget, Depeche Mode and more. I really wanted to make a pumping force with the bass and the kick, having them synced together. I felt a little lost where to go afterwards with the track and it started to collect dust on Ableton. I’m predominately a keyboard player, but one day I was playing guitar and I came up with the main riff. I was going for a Charlie Megira tone and It slotted in perfectly into the song. All the layers and full intent of rough, underground production, lead to to the final product of the single.
Exxon Tears’ is the perfect transitional song into phase two of the project. This track feels like a refined representation of my music and paves the way for all that is to come. I’m quite proud of it.
Are there any inspirations you look to beyond music when writing or performing?
I have plenty of sources of inspiration for both aspects of the project that exclude music. As I’ve touched on before, the cinematic format is so prominent for my work; not only for the music but for the visual story telling. This is evident with the content I post of social media, and reflected through the artwork for my releases. A very film-like approach
From a performance perspective, I obviously touched on the Cong Josie inspiration but a lot of it is intuitive. Performing alongside one of the best band to ever exist (‘The Fugitives’), I’m reactive to what they do. Letting the music swing me in whatever direction feels the most natural. I do like to express myself through clothing and parade around with a streak of makeup across my eyes (no reason, just thought it looked kind of cool and rolled with it).
Name the five songs that have informed your song writing more than any others.
It’s hard to narrow it down but these are the five in no specific order.
1. Senses by New Order
This track really stuck with me through the initial days of Low Monroe. It’s such a complex yet simple piece of music that retains a consistent, pulsating tone. This is off of their debut album following the death of Ian Curtis, looms heavily with his presence and makes for a unique listen.
2. The Pink Room by Angelo Badalamenti
An album that has been very influential regarding tone was the Twin Peaks Fire Walk With Me Soundtrack. Start to finish, decorated to the brim, but this song is up there for me.
3. She’s in Parties by Bauhaus
I’ve been listening to more and more Bauhaus this year. We’ve been compared to them when I play live with the band, a compliment of the highest degree. ‘She’s in Parties’ is an acclaimed goth banger and has been a great reference for inspiration.
4. I’m Deranged by David Bowie
I love Bowie, how could you not? I remember listening to this for the first time whilst watching ‘Lost Highway’. One of the most visually appealing opening scenes of all time; I associate this track heavily with the scene, always transporting me to that moment. Such an underrated piece of his that lives in my head rent free.
5. Jockey Full of Bourbon by Tom Waits
Lately I’ve been playing more guitar, I’m not great by any means but the guitar solo in this song makes me want to get better. The western twang paired with the latin style of play really strikes a nerve (in the best way possible) and has been a mighty source of motivation. I bump this one three to four times a day.
What Australian artists are you listening to at the moment?
I’m a real big fan and have been listening to a lot of Screensaver. They’re from Melbourne/Naarm, and released my personal favourite album of last year titled ‘Decent Shapes’. Really great post-punk band that are so fun live, they just came off of a huge euro tour a few months back. I also made a new discovery within the last couple of weeks of a band from Sydney called Sofiacide, great blend of so many genres and just great pop music. The godfather of it all is Kirin J Callinan, love him dearly.
How do you hope your music might impact listeners?
It’s hard to preemptively say nor is it my place to put my hopes out there. I write for myself majority of the time, and all I can do is my best. If there was anything that I could wish for from a listeners point of view, I just hope they feel immersed and on the other side, inspired to give things a go within any resonating creative sector.