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Cutting their teeth in the underground of New York City’s DIY music scene, indie rockers Monobloc are creating quite a stir. Comprised of vocalist Tim Waldron, bassist Michael ‘Mop’ Silverglade, drummer Zack Pockrose, and guitarists Ben Scofield and Nina Lüders, the band has a penchant for merging pop sensibilities with a metropolis post-punk attitude. Monobloc have already performed across the US and are set to support LCD Soundsystem at All Points East in London, and they’ll also head out to the EU at Rock En Seine and Kalorama Festival. It’s even more impressive when the band officially has two singles out.
1883 Magazine chats with Monobloc about the band’s new single “Where Is My Garden”, their favourite film quotes, and more.
What’s one exciting thing that happened to you this week?
Mop: Got played on BBC for the first time
Tim: BBC takes the cake.
Nina: I saw a photo of myself in a magazine in Japan! Very surreal.
What was the last thing you read?
Ben: Been reading Nick Cave’s book recently, it’s a heavy read at moments but really good.
Mop: It’s been months since I’ve been able to focus enough to read a real book so lately just Reddit threads.
Tim: Four Dogs and a Bone by John Patrick Stanley. I work with a bunch of theater heads and they are rubbing off on me… unearthing my inner cringe.
Nina: I want to be transparent — I’m really leaning into YA novels right now as a coping mechanism and I just finished the second book in the Throne of Glass series. And I’m most likely going to shamelessly finish the series.
Favourite memory growing up?
Tim: The summer of 2016. I think that’s also where the Monobloc summer memes come from.
Mop: In high school my friends and I built a giant tipi in the woods behind our school and hung out there daily. A homemade shelter from an otherwise sterile suburban upbringing.
Nina: Learning to ride a bike for the first time in Joyce Kilmer Park with my uncle and cousins. I remember us feeding the pigeons until they could barely fly. It had to be sometime in 2003, which felt like a good year.
Where was the last place you travelled to?
Ben: We played in Philly back in March, which now that I say that makes me realize how rarely I leave New York these days.
Mop: Just visited my Grandma in Long Island, NY.
Tim: Currently visiting family back in South Jersey in what seems like ages.
Nina: Philly show in March. It was my first time sightseeing there and I loved it.
What was the last thing that made you laugh?
Ben: Last night’s episode of Kill Tony.
Tim: Something sent in our shitpost meme chat.
Mop: A podcast (I know).
Nina: An episode of The Inbetweeners.
What’s your nighttime ritual?
Mop: I wish I had a good one. I honestly am either watching TV or scrolling on my phone. I also always try to eat dessert.
Zack: My only consistent ritual is eating a sweet treat.
Tim: A light doomscroll. Followed by ASMR RuneScape gameplay
Nina: Reading a book or playing a video game before bed.
Who would be on your dream dinner party guest list?
Zack: Rick Rubin.
Ben: Action Bronson. No doubt about it.
Mop: Anthony Bourdain (easy answer). Or lowkey maybe John Mayer.
Nina: Beyoncé.
Favourite movie and favourite quote from a movie?
Mop: Mad Max Fury Road: “Once again, we send off my War Rig to bring back gasoline from Gas Town, and bullets from the Bullet Farm.” – No words can describe how epic this movie is.
Ben: Jusqu’ici tout va bien. La Haine.
Tim: “Sorry, my Prada’s at the cleaners along with my hoodie and my fuck-you flip-flops” The Social Network
Nina: “Isn’t everything we do in life a way to be loved a little more?” Before Sunrise.
What’s your go-to karaoke song?
Mop: I’ve never sang in public.
Zack: Pusher Love Girl by JT (all 8 mins).
Ben: Chop Suey by System of a Down.
Tim: Rhinestone Cowboy – Glen Campbell.
Nina: Lips of an Angel by Hinder.
Favourite item in your closet?
Mop: 1960’s OG-107 army pants, more comfortable than sweatpants but don’t look like sweatpants
Zack: Everybody. World Trash Sweatpants – look & feel exactly like swaggy sweatpants but they’re recycled cotton.
Tim: I bought this leather Jacket when I was in London when I was 19. $40. It’s a safety blanket at this point. When we were recording the first Monobloc demos, we were couch surfing a ton and I would just wrap myself in it like a cocoon.
Ben: My black trench coat from Fairly Normal. They’re a sick company out of Lisbon that makes some really cool pieces.
Nina: I have these vintage black Chanel specs from the 90s that my friend Maureen Ryza re-lensed to have blue tinted glass. I love them so much and the fact they’re custom from a friend makes me feel even more special wearing them.
In a few short words, describe your music for someone who’s never heard it.
Mop: Minimalist post-punk with pop sensibilities.
Nina: Experimental Sovietwave-inspired indie rock.
What inspired Monobloc’s single, “Where Is My Garden”?
Mop: The post-punk and new wave music of Eastern European and nature.
Ben: I’d been listening to a ton of Interpol and The Police at the time, I’d like to think the influence comes through at certain moments.
Tim: Springsteen roleplay.
What is one fun fact about each band member?
Mop: doesn’t know how to whistle.
Zack: I used to work as a beekeeper on rooftops in Boston, MA.
Ben: Apparently I only like “old people candy”. I won’t stand by and let Whoppers be slandered like that.
Tim: Ben also likes dots.
Mop: And Milk Duds.
Ben: Wow, ok.
Nina: I have a cat named Lola!
What’s the story behind the name, Monobloc?
Mop: It comes from the Monobloc chair, the best-selling piece of furniture in the world, a ubiquitous example of industrialized modern design. See the meme page @northwest_mcm_wholesale for more info.
Could you recall the moment that made you realize you wanted to pursue music as a career?
Mop: I was 14 or 15 years old, and was playing trombone in my high school jazz band. One day before class started, I heard the bass player playing something that was either Flea or Les Claypol, and I immediately knew I’d been playing the wrong instrument. I asked my mom to buy me a bass the next day and spent every minute I could learning songs and practicing until I joined my first band a couple years later.
Ben: I actually went into film because I thought it would be a more realistic and stable career than music, which in retrospect sounds hilarious given the state of the film industry in recent years. I’d been playing guitar for more than a decade but just figured it wasn’t in the cards for me until Mop casually mentioned they were looking for a guitarist. I knew if I didn’t jump on board I’d probably have spent the rest of my life wondering what could have been.
Tim: There is a tour documentary by the band Basement traveling around the US that did something to my brain. It took pursuing music from fantasy into something tangible.
Which artists would be on your dream collaboration list?
Mop: Bass lesson from Jaco Pastorius.
Zack: UK’s own living legend Yussef Dayes.
Ben: That’s so hard. Tie between Nick Cave and Theresa Wayman.
Nina: Thomas Mars from Phoenix. Or Solange, I love her vocals.
What was it like self-directing the music video for “Where Is My Garden”?
Ben: I think we did the absolute best we could with the facilities available to us. I’ve shot more music videos than I’d care to admit at this point but it’s a new exciting challenge to shoot something that you also have to be in. This is why we had our buddy Pete (who’s a stellar director in his own right) on board with us.
We initially did the video for our first single entirely ourselves where I’d press record then run into frame on the wides but we realized that wasn’t really the best way of working. Having Pete to serve as the non-partial outside creative collaborator who’s also not afraid to get in the mix and get their hands dirty is totally invaluable.
I think we’ve really started to hit our stride with visuals where we’ve figured out how to match the creative with our limitations and use them to our strengths rather than see them as such. There’s more coming that we’re really excited to get out there.
Where do you hope your music career takes you this year and beyond?
Mop: Hopefully we’re all going to be able to wake up and only have to think about making music.
Ben: Who knows, I’m planning on riding this horse as far as it’ll take us.
Tim: I oscillate between whatever happens, happens to I want it all.
Nina: Wherever it can!
“Where is My Garden” by Monobloc is out now.
Interview Cameron Poole
