Review: 7Mondays ‘Sent’ EP
I’m a big fan of spring, just warm enough so I’m not burnt to a crisp but also taking us away from the freezing dark dreary winter evenings. Around this time I tend to veer more towards music with a melodic and colourful hue and with that ladies and gentleman I present you with 7Mondays, a duo from Crotone (in the south of Italy) made up of Isacco Scarriglia – Vocals/Bass/Guitar and Alessandro Franco on Drums.
The band only formed last year and Sent is their debut which has been jointly released by Truebypass and Dirty Beach Records, (I had previously reviewed two Dirty Beach releases for The Shaman – 23 And Beyond The Infinite and Forever Alien). Sent follows the Libidine (Lust) stand-alone single which was self-produced with lyrics in Italian and released in May 2020.
According to the promo notes the concept of Sent is that it reads like a long Whatsapp voice note ‘through which develops the story of two lovers’. The EP’s tracks ‘tell the story of the encounter, rupture, nostalgia and acceptance of two twin flames who have now broken their journey together. Sent is the desperate attempt to reconnect the two sides and rebuild the foundations of a bridge now broken, mediated by nostalgia, resentment and awareness’.
The cover art continues the Whatsapp theme with a grainy image and a download(?) arrow. I took the image to signify an attempt by one of the protagonists to rekindle the connection by reminding the other of what they lost, particularly as human beings have the tendency to take what they have for granted.
Sent is an impressive and powerful opening statement for a band who have barely been together a year…
The EP is bookended by a very short intro/outro resembling the beginning and end of a Whatsapp voice note which has been recorded, sent but not yet read. What’s Best to Die For the first proper track is an absolutely beautiful piece that alternates between dreamy shoegaze and tougher sounding post-hardcore. The icy shimmering nature of the track, with the Chino Moreno vocal style, makes it a joy to behold and could have slotted in quite nicely onto the Deftones’ White Pony album. In fact, I was reminded of my younger self spending many an hour listening to the likes of the aforementioned Deftones, Braid and My Bloody Valentine.
Next track Tape Rewind has something of an Orange Juice/Postcard Records vibe about it with some pretty decent spiky post-punk. There are traces of modern day Indie ala Interpol, especially in terms of Isacco’s vocals, but this more contemporary sound, if anything, helps to amplify the track’s dynamism rather than detract from it, this should go some way to reassuring that their listening pleasure won’t be impinged as a result.
Crowns has a moody feel that reminds one of classic bands such as The Cure and The Chameleons with rumbling basslines, jangly guitars and subdued vocals. The instrumental part of the track contains dialogue from Ingmar Bergman’s classic movie The Seventh Seal and whilst I’m unsure as to the reasons for its inclusion, it nonetheless gives the track an interesting twist and provides an epic conclusion to the EP.
Sent is an impressive and powerful opening statement for a band who have barely been together a year. It harkens back to a time when ‘Indie’ actually possessed a degree of inventiveness and a lack of hipster pretension. I was sold both on the relatable concept (who hasn’t been heartbroken?) as well as the captivating music. A promising start and I look forward to seeing what the band come up with next.
Label: Dirty Beach Records | Truebypass
Band Links: Facebook | Instagram
Scribed by: Reza Mills
