Melbourne’s alt-rock queens The Beautiful Monument will release their new record, I’m The Reaper, on June 28 on their new home Greyscale Records. The second taste of their new album comes via their darkly euphoric second single “Stay”, which premiered on triple j’s Home & Hosed last night. Pre-order the album here.
Much like the album, on “Stay” frontwoman Lizi Blanco’s life is on full display as she explores the intergenerational issues that plagued her family, and finding the strength to leave in order to rectify relationships and gain perspective. As Lizi explains, “if I hadn’t have moved away from my family, The Beautiful Monument wouldn’t exist. Everything happens for a reason and sometimes it’s hard to understand at the time, but it all ties in and makes sense eventually.”
The Beautiful Monument’s second album, I’m The Reaper, is an exploration of life happening in stages of grief, redemption, growth and being. Everything happens in these stages and nothing is one dimensional. The Beautiful Monument have made it their purpose to express their experience of these stages through music, and to share those terrifying but all too familiar thoughts with the world.
Lyrically, these stages can be seen most obviously with the first single “Deceiver” which continues lyricist Lizi’s experiences of drug abuse within the home and, when she felt she had it figured out, she was thrown another curve ball, thus the stages of understanding continue. Elsewhere, The Beautiful Monument explore mental health, toxic relationships, loss and resolution. I’m The Reaper serves as a reminder that it’s okay not to be okay and you can overcome anything – if you’re willing.
“This record is strongly associated with a lot of the negative times in my life (the last two years especially) which ended up shaping me into the person I am today,” continues Lizi. “It’s a very personal record to me. That said, it doesn’t only focus on the negatives, but also the positive outcomes from these shitty situations – from my mental health, dealing with loss and then finding someone I adore and laying toxic relationships and situations to rest. It’s the reaping of I’m The Sin and the beginning of a new chapter.”
The stories within this album are brought to life by powerful hooks, moody grooves and a deceptively vibrant energy that earmarks I’m The Reaper to be one of the most memorable heavy albums of 2019. Expect to hear influences from PVRIS to A Day To Remember and throwbacks to the early ‘00s rock of Evanescence.
2019 has already seen the band move into a new stage as they announced their signing to Greyscale Records, slayed Download Festival, completed a wildly successful headline tour and scored some much deserved airplay on triple j. While a general understanding of what is to come has the band excited, it’s the unknown stages that they look forward to the most.
