Music Industry News

“A strong and confident debut album, rich and colourful in texture and feel. Do yourself a favour and get listening to this album, the sooner the better.” – Muzic.net.nz

Emerging talents The Mons Whaler reveal their stellar debut LP, ten sublime tracks of soulful blues-soaked brilliance set to thrill the ears and warm the hearts of music lovers across the motu and beyond.

Hold My Gun is a polished, captivating collection of accomplished tunes from the Taranaki band, the book-end to last year’s debut EP Won’t Let You Go, picking up where it left off by combining the two releases into a compelling full-length album.

Featuring the album focus track ‘Linger On’, a swinging, sultry blues-rock number, and previous singles ‘Blood’, a spellbinding tune imbued with a deeply-felt, haunting melancholia; ‘Online’, an easy, melodious track underpinned by a gentle South Pacific vibe; and ‘Won’t Let You Go’, an enchanting fusion of swampy fuzz tones, and rock-blues, HOLD MY GUN marks the first of many exciting collaborative projects by these remarkably talented musical souls.

The Mons Whaler are an innately chilled outfit whose spine-tingling fusion of coolly controlled alt-blues-rock, is now starting to turn heads and generate a serious buzz nationwide, both in live circles and across the music industry.

Showcasing their innovative blend of retro-soul, swamp blues, alt-country rock-grooves, The Mons Whaler’s sound encapsulates a nonchalant cool with its atmospheric tones, effortless fluid flow, and ethereal style.

From their very first jam together just over a year ago, the band identified a creative kinship born of shared sonic vibrations, organically gelling to create songs that brim with authentic emotion. Hold My Gun is testament to that, offering up an honest album that leans into exploring collective human experiences around love, struggles, suffering, relationships, family, faith and forgiveness.

Reflective singer-songwriter Hemi Coates (Ngati Awa, Ngati Hine), couples impeccable guitar playing with his warm velvet-rich vocals and gifted storytelling. A tight elemental rhythm section drives each song as the intuitive pairing of drummer Andre ‘Waka’ Peri (Ngati Maru), and bassist Phil Hoskin (Taranaki Tuturu), share their secret language to lock in the groove and complement every beat and note.

The inspired addition of Courtnay Low on keys and lead guitar, deepens the roots-blues feel with her innate instinct for the perfect piano line or synth soundscape, and everyone contributes to the soul-infused vibe with their celestial harmonies and additional instrumentation.

Hold My Gun was produced and mixed by Sam Johnson at Rhythm Ace Studio in the gorgeous surf village of Oakura, Taranaki. Recorded in only six days, with another five to mix and master, the whole album was live tracked from start to finish, coming together naturally and quickly. The result is an album the band can be extremely proud of.

Exemplary creatives, the band take great care to ensure that accompanying videos are an equal match to the artistry of their music, serving up stylish, conceptualised visuals to fully complement their growing body of art. This attention to imagery extends to the album and the EP artwork, with Hemi providing the exquisitely hand-drawn sketches for both.

As fluent Te Reo speakers, the band share a deep connection to their indigenous Māori roots – a foundation stone which enhances their musical dynamic without constraining them to the usual socialised stereotypes. The band happily put their creative energy into a sound and story outside of the typically expected genre, looking to captivate the spirit and soul of an expansive listener demographic. It’s a defining part of their allure and broad appeal to music lovers, and a key aspect to their musicianship.

Poised to leave their mark with their unique blend of talent, passion, and creativity, a maelstrom of interest is starting to swell as the band continue to captivate audiences with their dynamic live performances, landing ever more festival appearances, and selling out their own shows.

The Mons Whaler hold the promise of a great blues-rock and soul band, a promise that they more than deliver on with Hold My Gun. Keep your eyes peeled and ears to the ground for your chance to check out their bewitching vibe live, tour dates to be announced very soon!

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