Portland-based Rare Monk is set to release their sophomore album, ‘Never Really Over’, in early 2021. Written and recorded leading up to the write-off that is 2020, Rare Monk explores themes around the ever-looming dread that the end is near: “Of the bursting of bubbles, of the decline and devolution of America back into the dark ages, of book burnings, witch hunts, of vapours only releasable by exsanguination. Of a surveillance state, of the demonization of science, of persecution at scale, of the normalization of greed, idiocy, cruelty, and death.” Lead vocalist Dorian Aites added, “Hope is definitely not lost, it’s just become more difficult. We’ll get through and hope the songs help.”
Following ‘Space Song’, Statistic Vandals is the second offering from Rare Monk. With a hook that’s reminiscent of early Death Cab For Cutie, it centres on a new kind of techno-anarchist before propelling into a post-rock instrumental. Speaking on its backstory, Rare Monk said:
“Data collection, aggregation, and application to ad targeting/warrantless surveillance meets a new foe – a madman who intentionally googles things with no purchase intent whatsoever, who follows, then unfollows without cause, who encourage opsec for the fuck of it. Destroyer of datasets, forcer of manual outlier removal, analysts shake their fists in fury before existing no more.”
Listen to Statistic Vandals right here.