Japanese instrumental rock band, Mono, have just shared their latest single, “Run On,” with a video directed by Dalian-based artist, Jiang Kun. It is the second single taken from their 12th album, Oath. The full-length is due out on June 14th, via Temporary Residence Ltd. records in North America, Pelagic Records in Europe, and New Noise records in China). This release coincides with the band’s 25th anniversary. Keep reading to check out the new video and more.
Pre-order Oath here: https://orcd.co/mono
Guitarist and composer of the band, Taka, comments:
“Humanity’s desire for evolution will never stop, even if the desire to make society more convenient and prosperous is good. The world is becoming worse and worse because it’s built on people who desperately want to make more money through business and concessions, and want to gain an upper hand. More humanly, simply put, there’s nothing truly more important than respecting, helping and loving each other.”
“Instead of focusing on a competitive society where people compare themselves to others, I think it’s ok for everyone to stay true to themselves and live their own lives because everyone is born with a unique personality. One day, when our souls leave our bodies and go to heaven, what we will take with us is not money, cars, houses or possessions but rather, what we could give to others and pride in how we could live our lives.”
“Just last week, we lost one of our dearest friends, Steve Albini, with whom we had the pleasure of making albums with for 22 years. We don’t even know anything about tomorrow. We realised again how important it is to continue pursuing our dreams in our own way every day, without being distracted by those around us.”
The video aims to explore the new meanings and emotional expressions that arise when music and visual art intersect. Jiang attempts to blend the spirit of Mono’s music with traditional Chinese fine arts and modern visual language to create a novel artistic experience, utilising close to 36,000 meticulously painted frames of his own, combining Eastern ink and Western oil painting techniques.
Mono 25th Anniversary Oath Orchestral Tours:
In celebration of the 25th anniversary, Mono will now also run a special orchestral tour in Europe and Japan, where they’ll perform the entirety of the new album accompanied by strings and brass:
Oct 22 / FR Paris / Le Trianon (ft. Chamber Ensemble)
Oct 23 / BE Gent / Vooruit (ft. Chamber Ensemble)
Oct 24 / DE Berlin / Metropol (ft. Chamber Ensemble)
Oct 26 / UK London / Hackney Church (ft. Chamber Ensemble)
Oct 27 / NL Utrecht / TivoliVredenburg Grote Zaal (ft. Chamber Ensemble)
Oct 28 / DK Copenhagen / Vega (ft. Chamber Ensemble)
Oct 29 / SE Stockholm / Göta Lejon (ft. Chamber Ensemble)
Oct 31 / FI Helsinki / House of Culture (ft. Chamber Ensemble)
Nov 20 / JP Tokyo / Spotify O-East (ft. Orchestra PITREZA)
Nov 22 / JP Osaka / Yogibo Holy Mountain (band only)
Tickets: www.monoofjapan.com/tour.php
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