EP REVIEW: Mother Told Me ‘These Things Happen’ – Jarki Monno

Fast rising London artist JARKI MONNO is back with his latest EP Mother Told Me ‘These Things Happen’. One thing that stands out about Monno is his intense honesty; it’s something that he prides himself on when it comes to his music that explores personal stories in relation to his life, from death to love to existentialism, that has resulted in songs that are as beautiful as they are touching.

To briefly summarise how his music sounds it would be a combination of cloud rap, lo-fi sounds and raw acoustic that leaves everything feeling genuine. Opening track Dead End Town perfectly captures this as it starts out as rough acoustic, almost sounding like a raw recording where Monno performs the song in one take. Gradually, peaceful sound effects come in that give it an ethereal vibe before the upbeat yet melancholic beats come in. In short, it’s a lovely song. In a more detailed summary, it’s something that you’d play in the middle of the night, crying as you go through a quarter life crisis – you know what we mean.

Following this is PettyCries that moves into drum and bass territory as the listener is greeted by catchy beats that have an otherworldly vibe. It’s like a perfect metaphor for the build-up and explosion of feelings with the way the beats pick up in speed. Moving on from this there’s Lies & Cigarettes, a track that on the surface doesn’t appear to have as much deeper meaning or emotions as the previous songs, but the sounds are still enjoyable as Monno returns to cloud rap territory.

‘whatshisname’ continues in the same style, but it returns to the more personal lyrics demonstrated earlier. The track itself covers the subject of a relationship breaking down yet can still be applied to topics around the fear of growing up, anxiety and existentialism. The main criticism to be had is on i don’t play with love which has a strange voice/sound effect at the start that then appears randomly during a song that is otherwise a stunning raw acoustic effort, meaning that you’re taken out of the melancholic mood. Finishing things off is sophie don’t, a lovely return to the lo-fi genre that perfectly captures the otherworldly vibe that artists like M83 create, alongside an acoustic guitar that brings this EP full circle.

Overall, Mother Told Me ‘These Things Happen’ is a beautiful release that on the one hand allows you to escape reality, yet on the other embraces the raw emotions around everyday struggles and life events.

Rating: 8/10

Mother Told Me ‘These Things Happen’ is out now via Marshall Records.

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