'90s indie rockers Monsterland reissuing back catalog, playing reunion shows
’90s era band Monsterland were jokingly described as “Best Band from Danbury, CT” and brought that self-effacing sense of humor to their noisy, sometimes shoegazy brand of catchy indie rock. They were contemporaries of The Dambuilders and Lotion and made a similar racket, with some really great singles that hold up well against better known indie rock of the time (name your pick). After a couple records on spinART, Monsterland signed to Atlantic subsidiary SEED for their full-length debut, 1993’s Destroy What You Love, and didn’t make it too much past that. Frontman Thom Monahan went on to play in The Lilys and The Pernice Brothers, and is now a successful producer (Devendra Banhart, Wild Nothing, Au Revoir Simone LPs, among others). You can stream some of Monsterland’s best songs, and all of Destroy What You Love, below.
The band’s catalog, which has mostly been out of print since the ’90s, is getting the remaster/reissue treatment and with that come a couple “Make America Noisy Again” reunion shows — their first in 23 years. The first is at NYC’s Mercury Lounge on February 24, a benefit for WFDU show “Signal to Noise” that also features SAVAK and Fruit & Flowers. Tickets for the Mercury Lounge show go on sale Friday, December 16 at noon. Their other show is happens at New Haven, CT’s Cafe Nine on February 25 (tickets).
