Uncut journalist Piers Martin on CMON's Confusing Mix Of Nations' EP...
On a midnight flight to Dakar two years ago, somewhere over the coast of Mauritania, I endured the worst turbulence I’ve ever experienced. As trays of food flew, panic gripped the cabin and the steward nearest to us cowered behind his trolley, I thought: ‘If this is it then I might as well go out listening to my favourite music’. So I put on CMON, clenched my teeth and rode out the storm.
The five songs from that incredible CMON EP now make up the first half of the LA duo’s debut album (out on Mexican Summer in April), which hits a sweet spot between Ariel Pink and Tears For Fears. CMON stands for Confusing Mix Of Nations – between them, former Regal Degal bandmates Josh Da Costa and Jamen Whitelock have roots in Belgium, New York, Thailand and the Caribbean – and they’re hard to pin down musically, too. The album covers a lot of ground and each of its 10 tracks could easily be a single.
So far, we’ve had Coo and Zoo, but the real gems are the bubblegum boogie of Dreamfucking and Mindboggling, or the hair-metal groove of Sam. Like all the best pop, theirs is deceptively lightweight, beautifully constructed and instantly addictive.
