Based out of Brooklyn, MONTE is a modern punk powerhouse inspired by the metal and pop-punk artists of the '80s and '90s. They have released multiple EPs and singles since their debut on streaming platforms in 2018, and their recent single, "Canna-Vision" dropped on Friday.
MONTE is a three-piece band made up of Caitlin Montclare, Meghan Rose and Ismael Baiz. The group just released "Canna-Vision" in anticipation of their first full-length album, which is set for release in the late spring or early summer of 2024. The album is being produced by platinum record producer Barb Morrison (Blondie, Franz Ferdinand) and mixed by the Grammy-nominated Dan Malcsh and Jeremy Kinney.
The band was formed by lead singer and guitarist Montclare in 2017, who later added Baiz on drums and audio engineering and Rose on backup vocals and bass. Since the band collectively became MONTE, they have released several singles, two EPs, a collection of Christmas songs and performed more than 50 shows throughout the U.S., including concerts at esteemed New York venues like The Knitting Factory and The Bowery Electric.
The band's previous work begins with "B****," the first single released on streaming platforms. The song then landed on MONTE's first EP, "Bad Sick Love.” The song is a solid introduction to the band's style, featuring angry singing, pop-punk drumming and impressive guitar shredding.
Other singles from the band's discography that stand alone are "Grrrl Fight" and "No Motivation." The former serves as a good example of Montclare's metal scream and is a satisfying listen with its interesting rhyme scheme, homorhythmic vocals and guitar. The song also furthers the band's theme of writing about femininity through a heavy metal lens.
"No Motivation" is where the influence of Iron Maiden shines through with the riveting melody and demonstration of Montclare's vocal quality and technique. The vocals are the highlight of this track, and the song is one of the best in MONTE's discography.
The band's most recent EP, "This Is Monte" was released in 2022, with the preceding singles "I Hate Me More" and "Bad Girl" serving as standout tracks on the record. "I Hate Me More“ leaves it all on the table, with lyrics that don't beat around the bush and serve as their character in the band's story. The musicianship of the song is impressively intricate, with the guitar and drums stealing the show.
"Bad Girl" adds a much more pop-punk sound combined with, as the title suggests, "bad girl" vocals. The guitar solo and relentless drumming are once again the song's highlights, as well as the distinct influence of The Offspring.
Musically, "Canna-Vision" results from multiple combined influences, from NOFX, Pennywise and Lagwagon to The Offspring, Motörhead and Iron Maiden. Thematically, the single is a narration of Montclare's experience emerging from the haze of the pandemic to re-enter the workforce.
"Why come into work, when we are undervalued in the workplace? We might as well sit home, smoke weed and be blissfully unaware of the crumbling world we live in. We should be neck-deep in our art, not our work. Wouldn't that be something?" said Montclare on the song's foundation.
"Canna-Vision" reinforces the band's love of nostalgic punk rhythms through the powerful drumming, fast guitars, walking bass lines and fiery vocals, none of which let up for the duration of the song. The song combines all of the band's influences and skills to create a solid demonstration of their capabilities, from a riveting bridge to the range of Montclare's talent as a singer and guitarist.
The song's theme is solidified in the music video, a comedic testament to the music videos of the '90s. The band members alternate between a living room, a workplace and a performance space where they all lament the return to normal life after the pandemic. However, they still find ways to enjoy themselves through performing and engaging with substances.
MONTE is a collection of the best parts of pop-punk music, from wailing vocals to rampaging instrumentals. Montclare can take old-school sounds and modernize them with her personal touch, including unusual chord changes, riffs and song structure, a phenomenon Baiz refers to as "the MONTE pocket."
