Monarch is an American indie electro-pop band based in Los Angeles, California. The members of the band are Brennan Strawn, Brent Kutzle, Brian Willett and Joel Plotnik.
The band have released their debut single "Stay" on March 28, 2015, and are set to announce the ''Apollo'' EP this spring as well as reveal live dates.
History
Originally from
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...
, Pennsylvania, Monarch signed to Northern Records of Orange County where they released "The Grandeur that was Rome" in 2003 and "lowly" in 2007. The band later dissolved and reformed under the direction of Brennan in
Seattle
Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...
with the addition of Brent Kutzle of
OneRepublic
OneRepublic is an American pop rock band formed in Colorado Springs, Colorado, in 2002. It consists of lead vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Ryan Tedder, lead guitarist and violist Zach Filkins, rhythm guitarist Drew Brown, bassist and cellis ...
and other new members. The inception of Monarch began out of a love of vast soundscapes and soundtracks from movies of the 80s and 90s.
On March 28, Monarch released their debut single "Stay" on SoundCloud. On April 2, 2015, they announced they will be releasing a new single entitled "Snow White". The video for the single was filmed on April 4.
Musical style
Band's music has been dubbed "melodic-driven indie pop", Monarch is often compared to bands like Elbow, Sigur Ros, Keane, and Denali. Monarch's songs are inspired by an independent approach to a melodic pop sound, including elements of urban grooves and hints of cinematic themes. Strawn adds, "We usually start with a key line, mumble in a few melodies and let our imaginations get the best of us." Lead vocalist has also explained that the band is still in development of their sound, but their love for half time, heavy synth bass and big melodies will never change.
Band members
Current Members
*Brennan Strawn – vocals
(2002–present)
*
Brent Kutzle
Brent Michael Kutzle (born August 3, 1985) is an American musician, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, record producer, and film composer originating from Fountain Valley, California. He is the bassist and cellist for the pop rock band OneRepubli ...
– keyboards, bass guitar, cello
(2010–present)
*Brian Willet – keyboards
(2010–present)
*Joel Plotnik – drums
(2010–present)
References
External links
*{{Official website, monarchofficial.com
2010 establishments in California
Indie pop groups from Los Angeles
Musical groups established in 2010