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Brooklyn trio Old Monk are releasing a series of singles in 2013 that will lead into a sophomore full-length album in early 2014 on Eenie Meenie Records.
Guitarist/vocalist Josh Carrafa met drummer Ian Burns while attending college in Colorado, bonding over a mutual love of music and performing together in various local bands. The two started to collaborate on songs via the Internet when Carrafa moved to New York to attend law school, writing much of what was to become their debut LP, Birds of Belize, before Burns followed to New York and Old Monk was formed with Tsugumi Takashi joining on bass.
Birds of Belize was released in early 2012 on Eenie Meenie, and the band spent much of the year on the road in support. First single “Seymour” was released in May, followed by “Fowl and Foe” in July. Both tracks were written by Carrafa, produced by Takashi and recorded/mixed by Dan Shatzky at Vibromonk in Brooklyn.
Carrafa, whose clever Tumblr, Music History In GIFS, set the blogerrati alight last fall, is also responsible for creating an 8-bit, ’80s video-game-style music video for each single.
The third single in the series, “Mages”, arrives tomorrow, with a corresponding video to follow later in the month. Listen: