Mononegatives Ferocious Single “Television Funeral” is a Thrilling Collision of Early New Wave and Punk

Mononegatives, photo courtesy the artists

If Buzzcocks dirtied up their sound a little and shot it through with buoyant synth melody and distilled a song to its essential minute thirty-six it might sound a little like “Television Funeral” by Mononegatives. There’s something gritty and lo-fit, even gloriously amateurish to the production on the song but its energy is infectious like when Wire cut to the chase on every song on Pink Flag or POW! gone even more punk but seeming to draw upon the sensibilities of another era and bringing to it some new vitality, a collision between New Wave and punk to produce a sound that was never supposed to be reconciled back in the day but absolutely can now without cultural betrayal or irony. Or not too much irony. Listen to “Television Funeral” on Spotify where you can hear the rest of the new Mononegatives album Crossing the Visual Field and follow the band at the links provided.

Mononegatives on Facebook

Mononegatives on YouTube

Mononegatives on Bandcamp

Mononegatives on Instagram

Mononegatives on Dowd Records

Mononegatives’ “North Carolina Atomic Bomb” is a Thrilling Shot of Caustic Synth Punk

Canadian synth punk band Mononegatives released its latest album Crossing Visual Field on April 21, 2023 and unleashed a set of songs that are the sound of raw dystopia. The song “North Carolina Atomic Bomb” sounds like something that made from found instruments culled from thrift store dives and some expert rehabilitation of old gear while listening to a steady diet of Metal Urbain, Pow!, Big Black and Devo while not sounding derivative of any of those. Its cutting/clashing guitar lines, fuzzy synth melodies and urgent, almost robotic vocals has a feel like a future wasteland of hard scrabble living in the ruins of technological civilization and there’s something thrilling about music that hits like the sudden realization that everything is a slow moving disaster so may as well get some enjoyment out of the immediate dopamine hit of the solid slices of benevolent irreverent punk nihilism that Mononegatives offer on this song and the rest of Crossing Visual Field. Listen to “North Carolina Atomic Bomb” on YouTube and follow the band at the links below.

Mononegatives on Facebook

Mononegatives on Instagram

Mononegatives on Down Records