Mono in Stereo

Long For Yesterday (2015)

Max Qayyum

Long For Yesterday is the debut effort by Rockford, Illinois’s Mono in Stereo. The band feature members of Mulligan Stu and The Shakes, and formed back in 2009. They flit between genres but settle somewhere comfortably on the “punk rock” spectrum.

The record gets kicked off with “Late Night Confessor” which sets the tone for the rest of the record with it’s mid-tempo pace and use of gang vocals in the chorus.

Despite the band listing their influences as Springsteen and Husker Du, the title track sounds like it was taken right out of a Bouncing Souls record, being the definitive highlight of the record with its catchy chorus.

After the first few tracks, and the slow, melodic anthem “Start Again”, the record becomes a bit of a blur. Each song seems to be either two and a half minutes, or four and a half minutes, which means it drags in parts.

The clearest aspect is that the band seem to be going for the “anthemic” sound, but seem to actually succeed when they strip things back and keep it simple. “Never Let it Go” is short and simple, and one to go back to, while “Never Coming Down” which follows it is four and a half minutes, with two of those minutes feeling unnecessary.

Mono in Stereo are a good band. They are filled with talent. Musically, they are tight and restrained, carried along by the vocals brought to the front. Their use of gang vocals is stellar. However, the songwriting seems to be what lets them down on this release, but for a debut it’s not bad. They’ll improve over time.