New Jersey inner and outer cosmic explorers Monks Pond release their new EP, Sonic Improvisations for Intentional Listening Vol. 1, on Oct. 14. The 25-minute two-songer — comprised of “Of Bodies of Water, I Am the Ocean” (17:55) and “Ringing Bell of the Inner Temple” (7:29) — follows behind the six-piece’s debut full-length, Echoes of an Infinite Dawn (review here), issued earlier this year, and presents itself as drone at its foundation and builds on that with each cut as it unfolds.

As with the album, the sound here is intentionally meditative, calm, immersive, textural, welcoming, but where Sonic Improvisations for Intentional Listening Vol. 1 — and they’re right about that ‘intentional listening’ part: headphones in, friends — departs from its predecessor is likely in the improv. Recorded and mixed by drummer Steve Moraghan, with Shawn Zappo on harmonium, Heather Ell on violin, James Malizia, Jr. on bass, Julie Albert on vocals (maybe?), crystal bowls, etc., and Bradley Karl on other percussion, Monks Pond offer a sense of live, in-the-moment exploration across the span of these two tracks, which don’t ultimately wind up too far off from what the album was doing, but feel more purposefully subdued and perhaps took a different route to get there.

It is a show of patience, to be sure. “Of Bodies of Water, I Am the Ocean” unfolds like it’s in its own timeline, a wistful melody taking hold on some maybe-synthesizer instrument or other soon met with violin complement, but still, the overarching feel is gentle, minimal. Monks Pond aren’t tossing elements into the arrangement just to fill it out, and as the 17-minute EP-unto-itself opener continues to develop in its second half, the backdrop of intersecting drones changes shape too, the mix changing to bring a sitar-sounding drone forward toward the end as the more distorted of the drones dissipates. It ends quietly enough to emphasize the noise that was made for a few minutes there, but never loses the impression of evolving, of happening over (its own) time and of seeking to soothe rather than upset.

It fades to silence slowly and makes way for the shorter “Ringing Bell of the Inner Temple,” which runs drones forward and backward and actually seems more active for that and for the regular striking of a bell or some near-enough analogue to one and the chime that seemed to start at the end of the song previous or maybe I just lost time; it’s hard to tell. But either way, resonance is the key and what “Ringing Bell of the Inner Temple” is most exploring, each strike ringing out over the drones and fading gradually, organically. There are moments where it feels like a call to prayer, especially once it seems to have established its pattern to itself, but one’s own evocations will invariably be a factor there, and I’m not about to invalidate wherever the music might put you, because it’s not a question with a wrong answer and the point in the first place is being moved by it.

These are hard, weird and on many levels awful times, and I wholly support anything that tries to impart a sense of peace to those who engage with it as Monks Pond do, but it’s worth noting that, as I look at the info for their upcoming show show at The Body Art Barn in the hippie part of New York State, I don’t get a sense that escapism is the ideal, but instead a kind of radical presence of oneself in the moment. Conscious breathing. Meditation. It’s not that it’s meant to make you forget the world around you, though taking time for self-care can certainly feel that way across a broad range of applications because it is so categorically foreign to the experience of one’s regular habits/obligations, but is meant to be a part of the whole experience of life. To enrich the entirety, not detract from any one part of it or another. Maybe that’s an experiential difference. Fine. I think that’s what it’s meant to be.

Sonic Improvisations for Intentional Listening Vol. 1 streams in its entirety below. As always, I hope you enjoy and are able to meet it at its level of serenity.

Credits and that show info follow:

MONKS POND – Sonic Improvisations for Intentional Listening Vol. 1

1. Of Bodies of Water, I am The Ocean (17:55)
2. Ringing Bell of The Inner Temple (7:29)

Recorded and Mixed by Steve Moraghan
Mastered by Ryche Chlanda
releases October 14, 2026

BACK TO THE BARN // AUTUMN 2026
Sunday, October 11, 2026
12–4 PM
Tickets: $35
The Body Art Barn
2952 State Route 94
Blooming Grove, NY 10914

12-2pm: Local Artisan Market and Community Happy Hour

2-4pm: MONKS POND: Pranayama, Mantra Meditation, and Live Immersive Musical Performance

Join MONKS POND for an afternoon of breath, mantra, movement and immersive sound at The Body Art Barn in Blooming Grove, NY.

We’ll begin with Pranayama Breathwork, conscious breathing practices rooted in the yogic tradition, followed by Mantra Meditation.

In Vedic philosophy, a mantra is a sacred sound, syllable, word or phrase used to focus and quiet the mind.

These practices will prepare the body and mind to enter the immersive sonic experience that follows.

MONKS POND’s music draws from Indian, Egyptian and Middle Eastern traditions, drone, dark ambient, psychedelic rock and post-doom.

Amplified harmonium, violin, shruti, ektar, percussion, gong, singing bowls, bass, drums and voice come together in an evolving, hypnotic soundscape — music meant to be experienced as much as heard.

Interactive aerial artists will accompany the performance, bringing movement and visual expression into the sonic landscape.

Set within the warm, organic atmosphere of The Body Art Barn, this is an afternoon to step away from the noise of everyday life, breathe deeply, listen differently and let the sound unfold.

Come gather. Come breathe. Come move your body. Come listen. Come enter the sound.

Monks Pond is:
Julie Albert: Vocals, Gong, Crystal Triangle, Crystal Bowls
Heather Ell: Violin
Shawn Zappo: Harmonium, Pedals, Bass Amps
James Malizia Jr: Bass
Bradley Karl: Multi Percussion, Jaw Harp
Steve Moraghan: Drums

Monks Pond on Bandcamp

Monks Pond on Instagram