There is a thoroughly satisfying esprit de corp in the new single ‘Montreux’ from Melbourne duo Maison Hall. Setting forth at a cantering pace, the guitars are raw and visceral, clattering and jangling with an effervescent bop, while the vocals are almost shouted with irrepressible joy. An ebullient track that teeters on chaos and yet is held together by melody and rhythm
The tale told is a heart warming paean to the cathartic joys of performance and perseverance despite the anxieties and challenges:
When I finally mustered up the courage
I was playing to all of my friends
New ‘new me’, new state of mind
I’m never going back again
(I’m never going back)
Lead vocalist Joe Kniepp says of the track:
‘Montreux’ is celebratory. Not just because we’re still doing this, but because we’re still doing this despite our ‘real-life’ obligations, the distance between us, the total absence of pecuniary success, etc. We are so divorced from any external validations – the simple fact is, I love making music, and I love making music with Ben (Byron). And we’re gonna keep fucking doing it!
It is this level of positivity we need right now (and those in the creative world more than ever) and it is delivered with such abandoned joy. This joy is captured in the accompanying video: a humorous depiction of the absurdity of job interviews and the conformity such things demand contrasted by the madly chaotic world of the artist spaying his paint over all and sundry. Kniepp says of the video:
The concept of the clip is pretty on the nose – the juxtaposition between the left and right brain, the creative and the pragmatist, the poetic and the prosaic. If you’re a musician, or any creative for that matter, who’s not lucky enough to make all their money from creative endeavours, you’ll understand these tensions. I workshopped it with Ben and then James Cooney, who stars in the clip as the ‘right-brain’ and is part of our live lineup.
‘Montreux’ is available through all the usual streaming sites now. You can catch Mason Hall on the road later next week:
Thursday, 3 February – Black Bear Lodge, Brisbane
Tickets available from here
Friday, 11 February – The Retreat Hotel, Melbourne
Tickets available from here.
Sunday, 13 February – Ganga Gang Cafe, Canberra
Tickets available from Oztix
Maison Hall is Ben Byron (Drums, Backing Vocals) and Joe Kneipp (Vocals, Guitar, Bass, Keyboard)
Feature Photograph: Rylee Olsson
