Escape to a Past that Never Was with Monta At Odds’ “Other Side of Yesterday” Music Video [Premiere]

Buckle up, because you’re about to go on a trip to the “Other Side of Yesterday,” but we promise you that it will be smooth all the way. Psychedelic darkwave group Monta At Odds is back with their trippy new video, a very worthy accompaniment to a song that will make you feel like you’re on a mind-bending, shoegazed trek into the unknown.

The musical depths to which this band travels are impressive, to say the least, creating a sonic galaxy of noise with a production style like no other. Minimalistic rhythms are set to maximum noise, shoegazed guitars seamlessly co-exist with vintage darkwave and synth, and endless dub echo is expertly mixed with extended-cut warped disco sounds. This is so much more than just musicians playing conventional instruments; it’s a group of exceptionally talented individuals redefining what’s sonically possible with lots of knob turning, cymbal smashing, and pedal pushing euphoria, set to mesmerize your mind and spirit.

Like all great bands, there was a real clear vision going into the production process for the “Other Side of Yesterday,” with the intent to make it a true compliment to the song. As video director Mikal Shapiro explains,

“The video for ‘Other Side of Yesterday’ is about escaping to a past that never was. Equipped with a glitchy memory, we’re left to re-imagine our past by resurrecting pixels. Most of the archive has been (gladly) lost to static. Meanwhile, the screen has become our substitute horizon. A self-fulfilling prophecy, we asked to get lost and then invented the means to do so. Our bodies have almost completely disappeared from view only to resurface as ghosts in the machine.”

Based in Kansas City, Monta At Odds is the brainchild of the Moore brothers, Deric and Delaney. Perfectly complementing one another, Dedric provides beautifully pulsing, melodic basslines that Delaney can easily play off of with his bold, unabashed synthesizers. The Moores really set the tone for the rest of the band, filled out with a capable unit of friends and collaborators.

The band took a very significant step forward in their creative development this year, with the addition of singers and songwriters Mikal Shapiro and Teri Quinn, who bring loads of character to an already charismatic act. The proof is in their July-released new album Peak of Eternal Light, their seventh studio recording, a record about transcending our present time in an effort to find a better place. The ten-song collection finds Monta At Odds at their most organic and curious, intent on pushing the limits of even what they felt capable.

Artwork for ‘Peak of Eternal Light’ by Monta At Odds