Excerpt: “a thickly produced concoction of sounds that are both retro-futuristic and contemporary, a la Stereolab. Monocle draws heavily from the lounge atmosphere of ‘50s and ‘60s space-age bachelor pad music, packing their swinging tracks with buzzing synthesizers, and ethereal clouds of bass, drums and guitar. The results have the confessional tone of background music, but the energetic bite of productions that demand the foreground. Sunny Kim sings breezy and cool in the manner of Astrud Gilberto, and the instrumental backings have the antsy trance ambience of the Feelies or Luna. This is music from a future in which analog synthesizers are cutting edge, cold war spy films are all the rage and KPM’s swinging stock music library provides the soundtrack to your life.”

Hyperbolium

Excerpt: “bandleader Rich Bennett has plenty to be proud of… what makes Outer Sunset so striking is how readily familiar elements get used in a way that’s just distinct and thrilling enough… The root of it may be the sense of controlled melodrama and clever arrangements at the heart of songs like ‘Agent Earle,’ which owes far more to, say, mid-period Roxy Music than to the more obvious sonic signifiers which the songs otherwise suggest. Add in an ear for groovy space-outs that aim for grace and uplift — the near-instrumental ‘Allo Taxi’ is a standout here — as well as some muscular drumming from Max Goldman that generally steers clear of rent-a-Motorik beats in favor of a full-bodied stomp, and Outer Sunset makes for a promising listen.”

AMG

Excerpt (translated from the German): “What would an attractive mixture of the mysterious relaxation of Broadcast,
the flow of Stereolab, and the shoegazing atmosphere of Soundpool sound like? The answer is Monocle… Right after listening to the beginning of ‘Music Of Space’ I was sure that here must be masters at work. I haven’t heard for quite a while such refreshing melancholic tunes, which sound like a late night in a big city and which transport such comforting, romantic sounds… really inspiring.”

Coast Is Clear

Excerpt: “the album demonstrates a stylistic variety that prevents them from being labeled like the numerous clones of the groups from which they derive… Less cerebral than Stereolab, Monocle demonstrates a stirring loveliness, supporting the listening experience ’til the end. Rock guitars, spacerock, krautrock, lounge and pop combine without corrupting the background of dreampop and instead amplifying the appeal… rejoice in this noteworthy debut”

Ondarock