Hot Mondy sift the ashes of a flamed-out romance on their new single and video Pale Ember — showcasing today on Tinnitist.
The first release from the Halfiax collective’s self-titled debut EP, Pale Ember moves from quiet recollection to an emotional roar as the band put their finest talents on display. An exciting mélange of wide-open country, soulful blues and raw rock, the song sets the tone for Hot Mondy — an EP they describe as a “genre-bending exploration of country, rock and roots, wrapped in a cinematic universe.”
The video for Pale Ember features additional high-profile talents: Dancers Kelli Baker (So You Think You Can Dance, High School Musical) and Chris Jarosz (LaLa Land, In the Heights) in a graceful, powerfully intense exchange. Choreographed by Bonnie Story (High School Musical), the video was directed by Imagine That Films’ Brad Tobler (Stranger Things), who is creating a full visual album for the six-track EP.
Helping to hone the sonic end of Hot Mondy’s world: Juno-winning producer Michael Philip Wojewoda (Barenaked Ladies, Rheostatics, Great Big Sea); the band and Wojewoda came together at Toronto’s Revolution Recording in early 2020 to track songs, but that was all they could get done for a while, thanks to you-know-what. “It was both fun and challenging figuring out how to finish the EP during Covid,” the band recall, “but it informed many of our choices in a really interesting way.” They called on a variety of top talent to complete the album, including friend and collaborator Loel Campbell of Wintersleep on drums, lap steel player Christine Bougie, singer-songwriter Claire Coupland, fiddler Kendal Carson, pianist Rob Preuss, and violinist/arranger Drew Jurecka.
Formed in 2019, Hot Mondy are Matt Rhind (lead vocals), Travis Flint (guitar and lead vocals), Troy Arseneault (lead guitar), Mat Budreski (rhythm guitar), and Matt Brannon (bass, lyricist) — five friends who started performing classic outlaw country music, each passionate about songwriting though deeply varied in musical backgrounds. They are a band, not a brand, and to illustrate how serious they are about the quality of their music, Hot Mondy are offering a 48K/24-bit high resolution edition of their EP, as well as both 33 rpm and 45rpm 180g vinyl mastered by Nashville’s Ryan Smith at Sterling Sound.
Watch Pale Ember above, listen to the track below and follow Hot Mondy on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
