Monsternaut Sign to Heavy Psych Sounds
Today, Italy’s Heavy Psych Sounds continues its international shopping spree by signing Finnish trio Monsternaut. The Kerava trio currently have two EPs under their collective belt — a 2014 self-titled (review here) and a 2012 self-titled — and they’ll release them as their debut full-length this Fall on the label, after having featured the track “Caravan” on the recently-issued Heavy Psych Sounds Sampler alongside the likes of Mondo Generator, Black Rainbows, Isaak, Farflung and Ape Machine, among others.
“Caravan” was one of five songs on the second Monsternaut EP, which boasted a sound born out of heavy Fu Manchu influence, with a tonal touch of Queens of the Stone Age bounce and desert-bred groove. The trio of vocalist/guitarist Tuomas Heiskanen, bassist Perttu Härkönen and drummer Jani Kuusela thicken up nodding, momentum-rich riffs and offer a return to ’90s stoner heavy purity without sounding retro or like they’re 20 years behind the times — at least not any more than they want to be. The songs on their two offerings to-date offer catchy, The Action is Go-style stomp, as typified in “Black Horizon” which closes the latter release with a slower lurch that maximizes the groove at play.
Almost all the information on Monsternaut‘s debut album is still to come — is it self-titled? — but Heavy Psych Sounds has it slated to be out Fall 2016, so October seems like a realistic expectation. In addition to that, Monsternaut will tour in the EU as part of the label’s booking arm in November.
“Naturally we’re excited about signing with HPS — no news there,” said the band. “We’re looking forward to touring and meeting new bands and new people. Just to rock out with your cock out. As for the label, Gabriele [Fiori] seems like a straight shooter and has already proven to have connections here and there. We never had much expectations of the band so it was puzzling when HPS reached out to us at the end of 2015. We didn’t take it very seriously as we had no idea of the label. But since then, the macaroni jokes have decreased (not died!) and we’re left pinching ourselves to realize that this is actually happening.”
“The release itself is a combination of two older recordings. First session was back in 2012 and the second in 2014. We’re happy to have HPS release them as one bundle, but are also more or less ready to record more if the stars keep aligned. Suppose we have to wait and see what happens after this release. Fingers crossed!”
More to come.
Monsternaut is:
Tuomas Heiskanen Vocals/Guitar
Perttu Härkönen Bass
Jani Kuusela Drums
http://monsternaut.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/Monsternaut/
heavypsychsoundsrecords.bandcamp.com
www.heavypsychsounds.com
https://www.facebook.com/HEAVYPSYCHSOUNDS/
