Jarki Monno – Mother Told Me ‘These Things Happen’
Release Date: 19th January 2024
Singer-songwriter Jarki Monno, no stranger to speaking from the heart, returns with the new EP Mother Told Me ‘These Things Happen’. These six songs candidly explore themes of love and loss, guided by Monno’s personal experiences and resonance with family ties. These are delivered with an introspection that not only feels truly genuine, but openly inviting to his audience for a deeper connection.
With this release we find Monno expanding on the strength of his lyrical content with a shift of delivery, embracing an emphasis on his singing ability over the trademark spoken word and rap elements found in his earlier releases. This approach compliments this EP well, through the delicate and considered layering in the instrumentation, anchored by a recurring foundation of acoustic guitar, that allows Monno to showcase catchy hooks throughout the EP without it ever feeling overshadowed or overcomplicated.
‘Dead End Town’ starts off this record, a solemn track that builds from stripped back acoustic chords and sparse drums, to bloom with delicate harmony and reverb soaked chorus melodies. ‘PettyCries’ changes pace in incorporating pulsing synths and modulated chimes that would sit the track comfortably amongst any dance or indie pop playlist, constantly evolving with new melodies. ‘Lies & Cigarettes’ feels like a nod back to Monno’s roots, centering on hip-hop sounding backbeats and favouring a more spoken word delivery either side of the sing-along choruses. ‘Whatshisname?’ reminisces like a love letter, embellished with keyboard lines and spacious falsetto inflections, where ‘I don’t play with love’ explores vocoder effects and muted percussive string plucks. ‘Sophie don’t.’ closes the EP, ebbing between ascending synths, low-fi drum patterns and a crescendo of electric guitars before resolving on the bare bones acoustic once more, resolving the playlist in the same way it started.
Mother Told Me ‘These Things Happen’ is a strong addition to Monno’s ever growing catalogue, showing a positive step forward in his ability to craft an accessible collection of songs that are as vulnerable as they are relatable. The EP itself is well paced and consistent, in that any of the tracks could have been put forward as a leading single. The reoccurring acoustic elements are thankfully complimented enough by an effective and deliberate variety of layers, of which adds diversity between each song. Throughout the record, each track is carefully balanced with dynamics and hook filled choruses, making this chapter in Monno’s songbook feel very complete.
Recommended Track: PettyCries