An EP in a single piece, MonkeyRat’s ‘Isolation’ is an experiential journey that plays with narration, subtle drone soundscapes, and cinematic soundscapes to paint an entire picture. Hailing from the Faroe Islands, the record delves into the pains and anguishes of isolation that they know all too well. Recognising that the entire world had undergone prolonged isolation for nearly two years, the record takes their own experience and paints a picture of what it’s like to be left bereft from the rest of the world.
The track spends almost the entirety of its first half in a pure narrative stance, where Anna Iachino’s foreboding and almost ominous vocal performance sets the scene for the instrumental crash that’s about to come. It’s only midway through five minutes that the song really kicks into second gear. What started out as poem in Anna’s new artistic practice, Poetry w/ electronics, took a surprising turn to the sound of psychedelic rock reminiscent of the 60’s and 70’s rock music era. It feels very reminiscent to the work of The Doors, an almost prophetic and apocalyptic tone loaded with darkness.
‘Isolation’ is an overwhelming piece, a sheer out of body experience that’s unrelentingly powerful by the time it closes. It’s a full journey in and of itself, necessitating you hear the first five minutes of narrative poetry before the pounding psychedelic rock sounds come crashing down. The blistering electric guitar solo that hits in right before the songs zenith and Anna’s vocals ‘what a crazy world’ make for the entire flow to come falling like a cauldron down into pure existential catharsis.