Navigating life at 19-years-old is no easy feat. For London based producer and songwriter Nick Mono, the experiences one may face on the cusp of adulthood have served as inspiration for his upcoming EP ‘The Sun Won’t Stay After Summer’, due on the 11th of March.
The EP is anticipated amongst users of social media giant TikTok, after Nicks infectious single ‘Effy Stonem’ blew up on the app in early 2021. An ode to popular coming of age drama ‘Skins’, the track was used by actress April Pearson, who played Michelle in the first series of the show.
‘Effy Stonem” is a taste for Mono’s genre-defiant style, which is ever present on this EP. Fusing the world of indie-pop with hip-hop and alternative rock are singles ‘All the Money’, ‘Anywhere in the World’ and ‘Rusty’, all of which will feature on the EP.
Clash spoke to the multi-instrumentalist as he quickly approaches the release of his debut EP. Mono touched on Covid’s impact when it came to writing, the success of ‘Effy Stonem’ and the secret influences on his music.
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Not long to go till your debut EP 'The Sun Won’t Stay After Summer', how are you feeling as we approach the release?
I’m feeling excited! It’s weird, I always used to hear artists say, “once you release the music it’s not yours anymore” and that is so true. Once it’s out there it’s out there, which is kind of weird to me. But I’m really excited for people to hear it, it’ll be good for people to listen to the project in full and how I intended it to be listened to. I’ve released a couple of singles from the EP [All The Money, Rusty, Anywhere In The World], but I want people to hear those alongside the other tracks.
Is it a nerve-wracking experience sitting on a project for so long and then releasing it to the world?
Yeah, it is a bit! You have to remove all expectation I think because even if you do get a positive reaction, you have to get rid of the beliefs you think people will take away from it. It can affect your confidence a little if you feel it’s not being received in the way you intended it – you can start to question if you’re getting across what you wanted to. So, removing that expectation has made it less nerve-wracking for me.
You wrote and produced this EP in the first lockdown, can you talk a little about the creative process of the EP and did you appreciate the extra time Covid gave us, as a songwriter?
Many of the songs were written in the first lockdown. I put the finishing touches and got everything mixed last summer to Autumn. ‘The Way to My Heart’, which is a new song that’s coming out, and ‘Anywhere in the World’ were actually written a little later in the process – but for the most part it was written throughout the first lockdown.
It’s weird thinking about how Covid could be seen as a benefit, because I know for so many people it was a tough time. But the way I used the lockdown to write music was I guess a benefit for me. I was still in school during the first lockdown, just at the end of year 12, so having that extra time away from school to work on music did allow me to focus more on this project.
‘All The Money’ is a single taken from the EP. Its genre-splicing and difficult to put in a box but still has this indie vibe – would you say blending different genres and toying with different sounds is accidental or intentional?
I think it’s kind of both. When I make music, all kinds of influences come out and that happens to be all kinds of genres so whether it be indie-rock, straight up pop, R&B or hip-hop. I was lucky to have been brought up listening to a lot of different sounds, so I think in that way its more natural to me to make songs and not feel bound to one specific sound. I guess I also have this inclination to want to make something that doesn’t fit in one box. But I’m completely cool with people calling my music whatever they want, whether that be indie-pop, alternative R&B or pop.
Do you think that’s the way we consume music now? Not listening to something based on what box it fits into and just liking what we like.
Definitely. I think in a way though, it has positives and negatives. Like, if people don’t have an interest in seeking out a genre, then they may not listen to a full body of work like an album. That’s just a personal view though because I love albums and want them to stand the test of time. But at the same time, this generation listening to everything and anything is great because it means music can be listened to by people who may not have gravitated towards it. It means there are way less cliques and shit. People just like what they like – which is cool.
The video for ‘All the Money’ is super fun, can you talk a little about the filming process and ideas behind that video?
I wanted the video to be like a three-minute Office episode. I had this idea of everything being shot like the Office with shaky cameras, and we did get some of that in the video. But with the time we had it was difficult to do something with that kind of strict narrative structure. I didn’t want to do something, and it come out shit. So instead, we took the idea and built on it rather than being tied down to one concept. I’m really happy with how it came out.
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‘Rusty’ is also a single taken from ‘The Sun Won’t Stay After Summer’, what were the inspirations for that track?
For that track, it was a different process to the others. It was the first time I worked with another producer on a song. I had an idea for what I wanted to do and then sent it over to this producer called Josh Scarbrow. He was a massive influence on it musically and I feel that bleeds into to the track. For me, the track started by being inspired by Steve Lacy because it originally began with just a bassline and gritty, boombap sounding drums, but it soon evolved into this alternative pop track.
The EP has some fun lyrical content. What ephemerals of life inspire you to write lyrics that seem to connect with listeners, especially those your age?
I feel like this sounds really pretentious but, I think I think a lot – if you know what I mean. Everyone thinks they overthink, and every does overthink…or maybe no one overthinks – but I personally feel like I’m always reflecting or overthinking, and I feel that comes out in my lyrics. The lyrics I write are often self-deprecating or self-aware, I appreciate that in other artist’s lyrics, so I hope listeners hear that in mine.
We must talk about your track ‘Effy Stonem’ which blew up on TikTok. What was it like seeing that reaction? Do you think social media platforms such as TikTok are important when it comes to releasing music right now?
It was crazy seeing it all over the app. I think platforms like TikTok are really important right now. Marketing your stuff on social media sites like Instagram and TikTok are so important when it comes to getting your stuff noticed. Sometimes it’s a little frustrating thinking about how I have to put effort into socials – apps like TikTok don’t come naturally to me, but I guess it’s part of the job.
What was it like seeing April Pearson (AKA Michelle from Skins) use the track in her TikTok?
It was so crazy! At the time, I had literally just finished watching the show and was so into it – so I guess it’s cool to somehow be a part of someone’s experience of that show. Like, when they think of that show they may think of the song and seeing her use the track sort of affirmed that… if that makes any sense.
Best generation of Skins?
I only watched the first two! I think because I wrote the song Effy Stonem, I have to say Generation 2. Plus, Cook, [Jack O’Connell] is the G.
I saw online a clip of you covering the Beatles, what artists gave you an introduction and inspired you to start a career in music?
Honestly there are a lot. The earliest introductions are probably a lot of rock bands like The Foo Fighters and Led Zeppelin. My dad used to play a lot of classic rock like Jimi Hendrix and Van Halen.
I often talk about this performance I saw of the Jackson 5 performing ‘I Want You Back’. It was one of my earliest memories of music – I just remember being so enamoured by it. Another memory I have is of my mum trying to find the non-explicit Jay-Z and Kanye West songs and playing it to me – I remember loving that shit. So, I have this vast array of influence from my parents. In terms of pop rock music, honestly, that came from Disney Channel. I always talk about the Jonas Brothers in interviews – people are gonna think I’m a Jonas Brothers stan. But I have to be honest, they were one of the reasons I got into music!
Looking to 2022, can we expect any live shows?
I definitely want to play some more gigs and I’m sure there will be some shows coming this year, whether that’s opening up for someone or doing a headline show. There may or may not be a headline gig in London sometime after the EP.
Final question, if there was one thing you wanted people to take from this EP, what would it be and why?
Damn, I need to think about this – I don’t want to say anything impulsively and regret it. I guess the whole idea of the EP is about the experience of things changing. I wrote this when I was leaving school and going through a transitional period of life that I guess everyone goes through.
I suppose the confusion of trying to form and maintain relationships, whether that’s friendships or romantic relationships in a time when everything is changing and everyone’s going in different directions is difficult for anyone to work out – so I hope if anyone is listening to this EP during a time when that is going on, at least if they don’t gain any new understanding of it there is something there they can relate and go back to.
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‘The Sun Won’t Stay After Summer’ EP is out now.
Words: Isabella Miller
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