MONO & A.A. Williams share collaborative single, "Exit In Darkness"

December 2, 2019

Japanese post-rock greats MONO have been having a very busy year. They released their great new album Nowhere Now Here, and then released a live-in-studio EP with new takes on old songs, and then played some rare orchestral shows (read a review from Chicago). Now they’re set to release a collaborative two-song single with dark dream-folk singer A.A. Williams digitally on December 13 and physically on January 24 via Pelagic. The first song released is the gorgeous, somber “Exit In Darkness,” which shares traits with both MONO and AAW but really sounds like a beast of its own. “A.A. Williams is like a black swan that melts into the minor code. Her light-seeking breath is really beautiful. We wanted to collaborate and create a new kind of music that’s neither MONO or AAW,” MONO told Kerrang.

AAW adds, “Taka [Goto, MONO leader] and I found many points of synergy as we considered each other’s musical language Not only did our methods and intentions complement each other, but we were also able to lead each other to new ideas. Exit In Darkness is a crystallisation of our priorities, to create something emotional and beautiful, and to stay true to our own musical identities whilst exploring new territory.”

MONO’s three 20th anniversary shows in London begin the same day the single comes out, and A.A. Williams is playing one of them. Boris, Envy, Arabot, Svalbard, Alcest, Jo Quail, Nordic Giants, and Floating Spectrum are playing too.

For AAW, that London show with MONO falls in the midst of her Europe tour with Cult of Luna and Brutus. Her first show ever was at Roadburn earlier this year, and she also put out her self-titled debut EP on Holy Roar this year (and later reissued it with “stripped down rehearsal recordings” and a stunning “Jolene” cover) and you can stream that below too. In 2020, she’ll play her debut headline show and she also is opening Sisters of Mercy’s tour and Nordic Giants’ tour.