Mono Moon’s 'Boundary' is the EP of the People
Written by Emmy Hensley, cover photo by Grade Solomon
Zach Sutton, the bassist of Hippo Campus, released his debut solo project, Boundary, under the alias Mono Moon today, December 16. The Twin Cities-based musician wrote the EP over the course of several years with help from Jake Luppen and Nathan Stocker, bandmates from Hippo Campus.
Mono Moon’s collection captures moments, memories, and intricacies. The beauty of it is truly in the details. Sutton walks the line between tranquility and vulnerability, perhaps suggesting that the two can exist in tandem. In an artist statement, Sutton revealed his thoughts regarding the EP:
“How do you name the love you feel for something? How do you know that someone understands it the same as you? How can you know who you are, yourself? How do you know one moment has truly ended and a new one has truly begun?
My answer is that you can’t know. But trying to know is one of the most beautiful gestures humans can make. We will never name it right but attempting is all that matters.”
Boundary begins softly, with a scratch-like quality setting an uneasy tone. Sutton’s first words of the tune, “It was storming out / That new pressure moved in / My skin’s paper thin / There’s a hurt in this wind,” establish this mood further. Rest assured, the rest of the track and title declares that Sutton is “Better Now.”
“One Liner,” released on December 1st as a single, starts with an arpeggiating guitar riff, with just the right amount of pitch bending to put listeners in a head-bopping trance. The key change in the second half of the song showcases a sensitive side to Sutton and wonderfully highlights his vocal range.
“Phase,” “Mississippi,” and “Hijack” feature lush harmonies and countermelodies, along with acoustic guitar riffs that are reminiscent of relaxing summer nights. “Cold and Holy” evoked a feeling that perfectly matched the track’s title, with a dark quality and country-inspired elements, such as steel guitar and banjo.
“Reach” sounds ethereal, thanks to shimmering synth lines. Soft noises in the background sound like rustling leaves in the wind, ocean waves, cars whizzing by on the highway. This work truly encapsulates the lost and longing feeling that Sutton sought to express on this EP. The song ends on an unresolved chord, reminding listeners that there are questions with no answers, but in that, we can find peace and freedom.
The final track, “One of These Days,” exhibits Sutton’s songwriting prowess. This piece has some of the best chord progressions on the EP, along with excellent guitar playing. The sudden addition of drums was unexpected but a pleasant surprise. Sutton continues his theme of uncertainty here with lines such as, “All I’ve known will fall away.” Musically, he also conveys this, singing on offbeats to create just the right amount of discomfort that comes with growth.
Mono Moon’s Boundary has a lot of remarkable harmonious elements, but it’s not just that. This EP represents a feeling that everyone shares and can relate to but has never been able to put into words themselves—feelings of nostalgia and melancholy, but also serenity.
“It’s a good thing, not knowing,” Sutton said, “It's a good thing to fill the gaps with what you don’t know. To guess at what is uncertain. I think that’s what colors the subtlety of everything. The way we interpret it.”
“Where do we find these gaps, these borders? I think they exist everywhere. between moments, between people, between words. I think we work every day to find them and make them smaller in the hopes that we can make the leap between them more certain. But I believe this effort can be idle. I think we have to take these leaps, but I don’t think we ever land on another side. I believe there is a border we cannot cross. Before true understanding. To know something as it is inherently, is impossible. We can only name it and hope others know it as well.”
Click here to stream Boundary, which is out now.