- Desert Island Cloud

New Eyes – Monique Barry

Following the thematic thrust of the earlier singles, New Eyes adds its own rushing narrative to the album’s ongoing exploration of the journey from innocence into experience—in this case a long, struggling moment where “where joy and pain peacefully unite.” In this fourth piece of the evolving album’s soundscaping portrait, we’re given a glimpse of a world recently discovered and seen with new emotional jeopardy and excitement. Pure love leads to pure pain—and where pleasure is absolute, so is the accompanying suffering.

Rich with rhythm, entrancing flourishes, and ominous emotional signals, New Eyes is Monique’s riveting take on Krautrock. Like a dance of love ripping through a burning building, the new single is ambient but aggressive, experimental yet traditional. Riding on a rhythm that throbs, smacks, and strums all at the same time, New Eyes combines the pounding nocturnal attack of Marianne Faithfull’s time-honoured Broken English with the wide-eyed curiosity and bravado of a contemporary Lene Lovich. As spidery hooks creep in, cloudy fuzztone dynamism gathers and mushrooms, and Monique’s searching vocals reach through the music, catching shards of her soul, and ours too. This latest offering from Monique Barry takes the disco-punk dynamic by the throat and hurls it into a dance club inferno.
As well as providing Monique with a new recorded drama to explore and inhabit, New Eyes thrives and soars thanks to the participating artistry and inspiration of Marc Meriläinen (guitar), Alisdair Jones (bass), and Michael Wojewoda (mixing/drums).