Indie-Pop Has a Moment with Little Monarch's EP "Grains"
Little Monarch is a soulful indie-pop band based out of Venice, California. The band is made up of the following: Casey Kalmenson, a vocalist and synth player from Los Angeles who is also a music teacher, Lanita Smith, a pianist (and occasional vocalist) from Memphis, guitarist and bassist Justin Andres, Berklee College of Music graduate, Nick Setter on vocals and guitar, and Reade Prior on drums.
Naturally, the band draws from some pretty diverse backgrounds, and these sounds are evident within their music. Known for their hypnotic indie-pop, the band draws inspiration from soul, pop, and jazz, with an undeniable touch of the California sun.
Their first EP, which was self-titled, was released in 2016 and garnered quite a bit of success on Spotify with over 10 million streams, effectively skyrocketing them into the indie-pop sphere. Their most recent release is their stunning new EP “Grains”, which was released in December of 2019 and explores the scale of their sound.
A stand-out on their six-track EP is “See You”, a whimsical song about growing up and leaving someone behind in order to do what is best for yourself.
The chorus goes,
The song strikes a chord with anyone who listens to it, as the experience that Casey sings about is so universal.
Another stand-out is “For My Own Sake”, which is more upbeat and so catchy that you can’t help but tap your foot to the beat. The song is seemingly about temptation and the strength it takes to fight that and protect yourself, as Casey sings, “Forbidden fruit is all I see/ For my own sake, I’ll let it be”.
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| Photo courtesy of @littlemonarchmusic on Instagram |
Naturally, the band draws from some pretty diverse backgrounds, and these sounds are evident within their music. Known for their hypnotic indie-pop, the band draws inspiration from soul, pop, and jazz, with an undeniable touch of the California sun.
Their first EP, which was self-titled, was released in 2016 and garnered quite a bit of success on Spotify with over 10 million streams, effectively skyrocketing them into the indie-pop sphere. Their most recent release is their stunning new EP “Grains”, which was released in December of 2019 and explores the scale of their sound.
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| From T to B: Lanita Smith, Justin Andres, and Casey Kalmenson / Photo courtesy of @littlemonarchmusic on Instagram |
A stand-out on their six-track EP is “See You”, a whimsical song about growing up and leaving someone behind in order to do what is best for yourself.
The chorus goes,
I’ll see you when I see you
'Cause I see me when I leave you
I'm letting go, I'm coming home
I'm coming home to me
The song strikes a chord with anyone who listens to it, as the experience that Casey sings about is so universal.
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| From the "See You" promo photoshoot / photo courtesy of @littlemonarchmusic on Instagram |
Another stand-out is “For My Own Sake”, which is more upbeat and so catchy that you can’t help but tap your foot to the beat. The song is seemingly about temptation and the strength it takes to fight that and protect yourself, as Casey sings, “Forbidden fruit is all I see/ For my own sake, I’ll let it be”.
Once again, a very universal experience.
If you like indie-pop with meaning, check out Little Monarch, and keep up with them on Instagram and on their official website.
If you like indie-pop with meaning, check out Little Monarch, and keep up with them on Instagram and on their official website.
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