Ducktails is a solo project led by American songwriter and guitarist

Matt Mondanile Matthew A. Mondanile is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. He is best known as the former lead guitarist of the American indie rock band Real Estate (band), Real Estate, with whom he recorded three studio albums, and for his solo music ...

, started in 2006.Hann, Michael (2013)
Ducktails: The Flower Lane – review
, ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'', January 24, 2013. Retrieved May 11, 2013Martins, Chris (2013)
See Ducktails Freeze in Central Park for 'Letter of Intent' Video
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Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning * Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis * Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...

'', February 22, 2013. Retrieved May 11, 2013 Following a number of limited-run

cassette Cassette may refer to: Technology * Cassette tape (or ''musicassette'', ''audio cassette'', ''cassette tape'', or ''tape''), a worldwide standard for analog audio recording and playback ** Cassette single (or "Cassingle"), a music single in the ...

releases, the 2009 albums '' Ducktails'' and '' Landscapes'' brought Ducktails critical recognition. The project was associated with the mid-2000s hypnagogic pop scene. Seven studio albums have been released since then.

History

Origins and early recordings

Mondanile started Ducktails in a tool shed in

Northampton, Massachusetts The city of Northampton is the county seat of Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of Northampton (including its outer villages, Florence and Leeds) was 29,571. Northampton is known as an acade ...

the summer before his last year at Hampshire College.Pelly, Liz (2013)
Ducktails The Flower Lane
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Providence Phoenix Providence often refers to: * Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion * Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in Christianity * Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...

'', January 23, 2013. Retrieved May 11, 2013Meighan, Nicola (2011)
Interview - Ducktails set for UK tour
, '' The List'', May 24, 2011. Retrieved May 11, 2013 The band name is a play on the title of the animated television series, '' DuckTales'', from the late 1980s and early 1990s.Truss, Si (2011)
DUCKTAILS: DUCKTAILS III – ARCADE DYNAMICS
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FACT A fact is a datum about one or more aspects of a circumstance, which, if accepted as true and proven true, allows a logical conclusion to be reached on a true–false evaluation. Standard reference works are often used to check facts. Scient ...

'', January 24, 2011. Retrieved May 11, 2013 He recorded his first release, ''1992 Demo'', on a 4-track with cheap multi effects pedals and a guitar. After leaving college he moved back to his parents' home in Ridgewood, New Jersey, where he recorded in the basement.Steeply, Hugh (2009)
Ducktails: Interview
,

Tiny Mix Tapes ''Tiny Mix Tapes'' (also ''TMT'' or ''tinymixtapes'') is an online music and film webzine that focuses primarily on new music and related news. In addition to its reviews, it is noted for its subversive, political, and sometimes surreal news, a ...

, February 2009. Retrieved May 11, 2013 Between 2007 and 2012 he recorded several albums, singles, cassettes, and split releases, mostly recorded on cassette tape.Rathe, Adam (2013)
Ducktails’ Matt Mondanile Reveals His Top Five Flora
, mtvhive.com, January 24, 2013. Retrieved May 11, 2013Powell, Christopher (2013)
Ducktails ''The Flower Lane''
,

CMJ CMJ Holdings Corp. is a music events and online media company, originally founded in 1978, which ran a website, hosted an annual festival in New York City, and published two magazines, ''CMJ New Music Monthly'' and ''CMJ New Music Report''. Th ...

, January 29, 2013. Retrieved May 11, 2013Beta, Andy (2013)
How A Studio Changes Your Sound
, NPR, February 28, 2013. Retrieved May 11, 2013Prado, Ryan J. (2013)
Life in the Flower Lane: Ducktails Blooms in the Big Apple
, '' Portland Mercury'', March 20, 2013. Retrieved May 11, 2013 After a tour of California in 2008, Ducktails performed at the echo curio venue in Los Angeles, where Britt, the owner of the Fun, Not Fun label, purchased numerous cassette from Mondanile, and signed him for an album. Ducktails' self-titled debut album proper was released in 2009 on the Not Not Fun label, followed later that year with '' Landscapes,'' on the label Olde English Spelling Bee. The third album '' Ducktails III: Arcade Dynamics'' was released in 2011 on the

Woodsist Woodsist is an American independent record label founded in 2006 by Jeremy Earl of the band Woods and based in Stone Ridge, New York. Artists * Alex Bleeker and the Freaks * Art Museums * The Babies * Blank Dogs * Blues Control * The Chri ...

label, and saw a move away from improvised experiments towards

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''Pop'' (G ...

.Lymangrover, Jason
''Ducktails III: Arcade Dynamics'' Review
,

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

. Retrieved May 11, 2013Beta, Andy (2011)
Ducktails ''III: Arcade Dynamics''
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'', March 2011, pp. 78-9. Retrieved May 11, 2013 Ducktails releases have received significant critical acclaim, most notably from

Pitchfork Media ''Pitchfork'' (formerly ''Pitchfork Media'') is an American online music publication (currently owned by Condé Nast) that was launched in 1995 by writer Ryan Schreiber as an independent music blog. Schreiber started Pitchfork while working ...

who have favourably reviewed the albums, and produced two video features on the band. The band were associated with the mid-2000s hypnagogic pop scene by critics.

Studio albums

In 2012 Mondanile signed to Domino Records and released '' The Flower Lane''. In contrast to his earlier work, it was recorded in a studio and mixed over the summer of 2012 with Al Carlson ( Peaking Lights) and co-written by New Jersey band Big Troubles, who had backed Mondanile in live shows for some time.Clay, Joe (2013)
Ducktails ''The Flower Lane''
, The Quietus, February 1, 2013. Retrieved May 11, 2013 The ten-track album was released January 28, 2013, preceded by the single "Letter of Intent", which featured vocals from Jessa Farkas of Future Shuttle and bass from Joel Ford of

Ford & Lopatin Ford & Lopatin (formerly known as Games) is an American electronic duo composed of musicians Daniel Lopatin (better known as Oneohtrix Point Never) and Joel Ford (of the group Tigercity). The group's sound draws on disparate genres such as 1980s s ...

.Brackbill, Shawn (2012)
Ducktails Announce New Album, Share Track
,

, October 10, 2012. Retrieved May 11, 2013Brown, Jacob (2012)
Song Debut: Ducktails' "Letter of Intent" Featuring Jessa Farkas
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'', December 4, 2012. Retrieved May 11, 2013Murray, Robin (2013)
Letter of Intent: Ducktails
, '' Clash'', March 12, 2013. Retrieved May 11, 2013 On January 23, 2013, Pitchfork TV broadcast a live stream of the band's album release show at Manhattan's

(Le) Poisson Rouge (Le) Poisson Rouge (often referred to as LPR) is a music venue and multimedia art cabaret in New York City founded in 2008 by Justin Kantor and David Handler on the former site of the Village Gate at 158 Bleecker Street. The performance space was ...

with guest appearances from Big Troubles, Joel Ford, Jessa Farkas, and

Real Estate Real estate is property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this (also) an item of real property, (more general ...

's Martin Courtney. On July 25, 2013, Ducktails performed in the courtyard of the

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It plays a major role in developing and collecting modern art, and is often identified as one of ...

as part of PopRally's

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Nights series.Carew, Anthony (2011)
Interview: Matt Mondanile of Real Estate and Ducktails
, About.com, October 11, 2011. Retrieved May 11, 2013 Mondanile then moved to Los Angeles in 2014, and began recording demos for his second studio album, ''St. Catherine.'' After a few studio sessions, Domino Records suggested Mondanile to work with a producer. Mondanile subsequently chose Robert Schnapf, who most notably worked Elliott Smith. Mondanile brought in notable musicians to collaborate, including Julia Holter and James Ferraro. Ducktails have played many international festivals including Primavera Sound and Field Day. As Ducktails, Mondanile has toured the world solo as well as with a band performing extensively in Australia, Japan, Europe, United States and Canada.Pelly, Jenn (2012)
Listen to Ducktails' "Letter of Intent", Featuring Oneohtrix Point Never on Synths
,

, December 4, 2012. Retrieved May 11, 2013 Mondanile has also collaborated with

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Animal Collective Animal Collective is an American experimental pop band formed in Baltimore, Maryland. Its members consist of Avey Tare (David Portner), Panda Bear (Noah Lennox), Geologist (Brian Weitz), and Deakin (Josh Dibb). The band's work is characterized ...

as well as Madeline Follin of

Cults In modern English, ''cult'' is usually a pejorative term for a social group that is defined by its unusual religious, spiritual, or philosophical beliefs and rituals, or its common interest in a particular personality, object, or goal. This ...

and Dan Lopatin of

Oneohtrix Point Never Daniel Lopatin (born July 25, 1982), best known as Oneohtrix Point Never or OPN, is an American experimental electronic music producer, composer, singer and songwriter. His music has experimented with tropes from various music genres and eras, s ...

. Their music has been positively reviewed by the

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and is regularly played on

BBC 6Music BBC Radio 6 Music is a British digital radio station owned and operated by the BBC, specialising primarily in alternative music. BBC 6 Music was the first national music radio station to be launched by the BBC in 32 years. It is available onl ...

by the likes of

Gideon Coe Gideon Jon Quantrill Coe (born 22 September 1967 in Canterbury, Kent) is a radio DJ, presenter, sportscaster, voiceover artist and journalist. Early career He began his broadcasting career in 1976 as a child presenter on the BBC One TV program ...

, Marc Riley and

Don Letts Donovan "Don" Letts (born 10 January 1956) is a British film director, disc jockey (DJ) and musician. Letts first came to prominence as the videographer for the Clash, directing several of their music videos. In 1984, Letts co-founded the band B ...

. In 2016, Mondanile began recording of what would become his sixth album, Jersey Devil, in his studio in downtown Los Angeles. Early song writing sessions included collaborations with ''Girls'' Guitarist, John Anderson. While recording Jersey Devil, Mondanile moved back to New Jersey to record and write the remainder of the album. He asked Steve Shelley, drummer of Sonic Youth to mix the album in his studio, Echo Canyon West, located in Hoboken. Shelley recommended Ernie Indratat to engineer, and the album's production was completed in August 2017. Jersey Devil was subsequently released on Mondanile's own label, New Images Limited on October 6, 2017. Mondanile released two compilations, Daffy Duck in Hollywood, and Hummingbird Babysitter, featuring unused material from the Jersey Devil recording sessions between 2015 and 2017. The compilations were initially distributed on cassettes during a European tour in May 2017, which featured acts James Ferraro and Spencer Clark. On October 14, 2017, it was reported that Mondanile's departure from Real Estate was due to allegations made against Mondanile regarding his "unacceptable treatment of women." Prior to the band's statement, Mondanile had denied the allegations. As a result of the allegations, Ducktails tour dates in Asia and the U.S. were cancelled by the promoters, publicist Daniel Gill and former label Woodsist ceased working with Ducktails, and Ducktails was dropped by the Japanese label Plancha. Most of Ducktails' albums were also briefly removed from streaming services. In early 2018, Mondanile began writing his next album, ''Watercolors.'' He moved to

Athens, Greece Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

, and continued writing the album. In August 2018, Mondanile moved to

Antwerp, Belgium Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

, to live with his girlfriend and wrote the majority of the album there. However, he would routinely fly back to Athens to record with sound engineer and member of Voyage Limpid Sound, Sergios Voudris, in the Diskex studio. The album was released in June 2019. Although not many publications reviewed the album, it was received positively by critics. In September 2019, Mondanile released his third compilation, which included previously unreleased material from 2014 to 2018, titled Hard Rock Cafe Chernobyl.

Musical style

The band's music has been alternately characterized as " hypnagogic pop", "woozy, horizontal pop" and "

lo-fi Lo-fi (also typeset as lofi or low-fi; short for low fidelity) is a music or production quality in which elements usually regarded as imperfections in the context of a recording or performance are present, sometimes as a deliberate choice. The ...

".FACT mix 369: Ducktails
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'', February 11, 2013. Retrieved May 11, 2013Howells, Tom
Ducktails ''The Flower Lane''
, ''Crack''. Retrieved May 11, 2013

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

described their work as "all burbling analog synths, bedroom processing, and sunburnt soundscapes." Jason Lymangrover in '' The List'' described Ducktails releases as having "a sketchpad feel to them" described as "a typically giddy blend of psych,

drone Drone most commonly refers to: * Drone (bee), a male bee, from an unfertilized egg * Unmanned aerial vehicle * Unmanned surface vehicle, watercraft * Unmanned underwater vehicle or underwater drone Drone, drones or The Drones may also refer to: ...

, summer jams, tropical riffs and hazy vocalisms". Early recordings were freeform jams, once described as "bizarre,

krautrock Krautrock (also called , German for ) is a broad genre of experimental rock Experimental rock, also called avant-rock, is a subgenre of rock music that pushes the boundaries of common composition and performance technique or which experiments ...

-influenced sound collages", but later material has more conventional song structures, more akin to his work in Real Estate.Neyland, Nick (2012)
Ducktails "The Flower Lane"
,

, October 10, 2012. Retrieved May 11, 2013Jack, Malcolm (2013)
Ducktails - The Flower Lane
, '' The List'', January 17, 2013. Retrieved May 11, 2013Mincher, Chris (2013)
Ducktails ''The Flower Lane''
,

The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...

, January 29, 2013. Retrieved May 11, 2013 Liz Pelly, reviewing ''The Flower Lane'' for the ''

'' described his earlier work as "collaged pop ideas with kaleidoscopic filters and home-recorded hiss". In a 2009 interview, Mondanile described his live performances as "improvised and more like drone music". He explained his preference for recording on cassette: "I like the idea of everything being as raw-sounding as possible, with nothing covering up the sound. It's like the only thing covering it up might be the quality of the recording.

Band members

Current *

vocals, guitar, keyboards (2006–present) Former * Alex Craig guitar (2013–2015) * Luka Usmiani bass guitar (2013–2014) * Ian Drennan guitar (2013–2014) * Samuel Franklin drums (2013–2014) * Josh da Costa bass guitar (2015–2016) * Malcolm Perkins guitar (2015–2016) * Ross Chait drums (2015–2016) * Dale Simmons keyboard (2015–2016)

Timeline

Discography

Studio albums * '' Ducktails'' (2009) Not Not Fun * '' Landscapes'' (2009) Olde English Spelling Bee * '' Ducktails III: Arcade Dynamics'' (2011) Woodsist * '' The Flower Lane'' (2013) Domino * '' St. Catherine'' (2015) Domino * '' Jersey Devil'' (2017) New Images * ''

Watercolors Watercolor (American English) or watercolour (British English; see spelling differences), also ''aquarelle'' (; from Italian diminutive of Latin ''aqua'' "water"), is a painting method”Watercolor may be as old as art itself, going back to t ...

'' (2019) New Images * '' Impressions'' (2021) New Images EPs * ''Ducktails (2008), Breaking World Records * '' Killin the Vibe'' (2011), New Images * ''Wish Hotel'' (2013), Domino Compilations * ''Backyard'' (2009) Release The Bats * ''Daffy Duck in Hollywood'' (2017) New Images * ''Hummingbird Babysitter'' (2017) New Images * ''Hard Rock Cafe Chernobyl'' (2019) New Images * ''Ramapo River Anthology'' (2021) New Images * ''Sketches'' (2021) New Images Singles * "Mirror Image" (2010), SHDWPLY * "Hamilton Road" (2010), Olde English Spelling Bee * "Letter of Intent" (2013), Domino * "Headbanging in the Mirror" (2015), Domino * "Surreal Exposure" (2015), Domino * "Don't Wanna Let You Know " (2015) New Images * "Plastic Melody" (2018) New Images * "New Dream" (2018) New Images * "Answered in a Prayer" (2019) New Images * "Impression / Only a Fool" (2021) New Images Remixes * ''Mind Mischief – Tame Impala'' (2013), Modular Recordings Live recordings * ''Live On WFMU'' (2010), Inflated Split releases * Julian Lynch/Ducktails split EP (2009), Underwater Peoples * ''Bored Fortress'' (2010), Not Not Fun – split single with Rangers * Ducktails/Dracula Lewis split (2010), No Fun Cassette-only releases * ''1992 Demo'' (2007), Future Sound Recordings * ''Dreams In Mirror Field'' (2007), Future Sound Recordings * ''II'' (2008), Future Sound Recordings * ''Acres Of Shade'' (2008), Arbor * ''Summer Of Saucers'' (2008, 2nd edition 2013)
DNT
– split with Mudboy * ''Ducktails / Gang Wizard / Vluba / Golden Cup'' (2008), 8mm * ''Universal Mutant Studios'' (2009), Stenze Quo Musik/Historiaens – split with Buffle, In the Eye of Vision, and Cotopaxi * ''Lost'' (2010), Fuck It Tapes

References

External links

New Images
{{Authority control 2006 establishments in New Jersey Musical groups established in 2006 Alternative rock groups from New Jersey Psychedelic pop music groups Domino Recording Company artists Hypnagogic pop musicians Chillwave musicians