A desert holiday is a specific kind of Western treat that calls to even the most devoted snow bunnies. Angelenos are lucky enough to be afforded such an escape, where two hours on the road provides a kind of rough-and-tumble clarity that sea-salted air can't always satisfy. Since we've glided past all the glossy goo of twinkly holiday tunes, how about a glam-rock palate cleanser? Think: The Killers. Think: 2010. Think: AfterEffects. Enter: Monotronic. Their new single Looking Away is a regular cactus cooler of a jam that comes at you fast and hot but never drives you off the road.
Even with Monotronic’s self-described “healthy disregard for a set sound,” there’s still a sense of tethered familiarity in Looking Away. The song almost feels like a faint memory of something you’ve heard before, but with a resonant theme that allows you to look deeper than its inspiration. The video is sure to send you back to when YouTube was the hot new place and content creation was a newly accessible road of possibilities. All that’s missing is a stop at Salvation Mountain. However, there is no time to detour to the mountain, with a modern, tight-lipped structure that clocks the track at under 3 minutes.
Still, length doesn’t detract from the journey at hand, and its pounding kick-drum progression sprinkled with synths keeps the pace moving and the song’s focus clear. With an almost “blink-and-you’ll-miss-it” fanfare, Looking Away is an escape from what is current back to what has been, with a bit of reflection in between. Hunnypot approved!
-Robyn DeLossa
