Led by songwriter and frontman Dylan Reisch, Goodmonster is a Sydney folk-rock band not afraid of experimentation.
Joined by band members OG and Jake, they chase a sound born from stark light and deep shadow, confessions wrapped in grit, guitar and ghostly reverberation.
Their latest release, the single 'King Of The Sea', heralds their next EP project, 'The Wolf Is Young' that is due in 2026, and acts as the final piece in the trilogy of EPs that follows 'Same Dream' (2022) and 'Beautiful Illusion' (2023). The new work reveals the sound Goodmonster have been chasing.
A cascading wall of psych noise opens 'King Of The Sea', jangle pop meets avant-garde folk spilling across the senses, the clanging, clashing racket a sensory overload that distills into a quiet hum before distinct, hearty vocals take the lead declaring "I'm the f...en king of the sea".
It's jovial yet menacing, as the spiralling dream-pop and hazy art-rock congeal into a jaunty alt-pop bop, the track segueing into a spoken-word wash of sound, before an acoustic Spanish-styled guitar intensifies into a marauding beat, the refrain of "I'm the f...en king of the sea" morphing into an experimental pastiche of bruised tones, a broken-beat rhythm crashing against an imaginary shoreline and the oblivion of silence.
"The song looks at power from both sides, what it gives you and what it costs," Reisch says. "Starting the EP with something familiar felt right, especially as this track hints at the direction we're taking."
Ahead of the song's release on Thursday (4 December), today scenestr is thrilled to premiere 'King Of The Sea'. Enjoy.
Goodmonster's writing leans heavily into mythology and monsters in general, subject matters that have followed Dylan his entire life. "When I was a kid, I was fascinated with mythology," he says.
"This song is an extension of that obsession; the story of a lonely god-king, raging beneath the waves, bereft of influence on the world of man yet doomed to watch our story unfold.
"Sometimes when you're writing a song you use placeholder lyrics that fit the rhythm of what you're looking for. 'I'm the f...en king of the sea' is an example of when those placeholder lyrics take over and define the direction of the song.
"It's the oldest song from the upcoming EP, 'The Wolf Is Young'. It helped define the direction of other tracks, because I'd never gone as deep into the mystical side of nature before, but once I'd broken the surface, there was no turning back."
A long-time crowd favourite at gigs, 'King Of The Sea' arrives well-worn and road-tested, making it a fitting introduction to the EP.
"We (OG and I) wanted this track to have depth," Dylan adds, "an intro that feels like being dumped by a wave, verses you could surf to, and a big ending like a storm building out at sea.
"I did the guitar, vocals and organ, OG did the bass and drums; he mixed, I mastered. All the way through the process we guided each other, offering support and feedback. We don't always split the roles that way but it worked for this one."
