I'll be honest - Monolith Ascension Collective scared me a little bit today.

I was developing a steady obsession with their song "Holotape 801", before I even started researching the band for my write-up. As soon as I opened their profile and saw nothing, paired with the fact that this is their first single and their artist picture was the artwork itself, I got reasonably bummed I might have fallen for an AI band.

I prayed I was wrong, and 10 minutes later, everything was good to go. With a quick streaming platform credit check and proper investigation, I was ready to take a crack at this write-up and focus on making sure the world is aware of their psychedelic art.

"Holotape 801" is a powerful collision of psychedelic rock, disco groove, and hypnotic funk elements, all tied together by a rhythm section that feels both vintage and futuristic. The lineup behind Monolith Ascension Collective brings together a diverse group of musicians (which, as we established, I managed to track down). Alex Millet anchors the track with bass and synth work, joined by Wren Kennedy on additional synthesizers. Adam Borgione and Josh McAlearney handle guitar duties, while Ian Francis provides the rhythmic backbone on drums. Vocalists Julianne Brough and Elowyn LaPointe round out the ensemble, adding layered melodic textures to the band's expansive sound.

For one of the driving forces behind, Alex Millet, the track represents a personal intersection of long-time influences. "Having grown up listening to funk and disco before spending the past decade immersed in psychedelic music, Holotape 801 serves as his love letter to the moment those sonic worlds finally collide - bringing rhythm, color, and groove into the same orbit."I’ve been listening to funk and disco for as long as I can remember. For the past decade, I’ve been immersed in psychedelic music, and Holotape 801 is my love letter to those sounds finally colliding; rhythm, color, and groove all in one place," he elaborates.

If you're looking for a soundtrack to a long desert sunset drive, then this is your jam.

posted by Ivo
11 h ago