Mid-Fi production of 'Here Comes The Afternoon' by Monnone Alone

Published

2-5-2025

Type of Work

Creative Work - Music

Advisors and Contributors

Mark Monnone (Songwriter, Vocals, Guitar) Louis Richter (Guitar, Synth) Joe Foley (Bass, Lapsteel) Gus Franklin (Drums, BVs, Additional instruments)

Abstract

This 11-track album by the Melbourne-based indie-pop band Monnone Alone employs saturation, distortion, and other techniques to evoke the sonic character of 8-track cassette-based DIY recordings. Here Comes the Afternoon is the band's fourth album and is an international co-release through four independent labels: Lost and Lonesome (Australia), Meritorio Records (Europe), Safe Suburban Home (UK), and Repeating Cloud (USA).

The role of the music producer has shifted significantly in the post-digital era, shaped by the increasing democratisation of music-making and widespread access to affordable recording technology. This project reflects those changes through the production of 'Here Comes the Afternoon' by Monnone Alone, a four-piece indie-pop band led by songwriter and former Lucksmiths bassist, Mark Monnone.

Initial recordings were made on a Tascam Portastudio 8-track cassette recorder in Monnone’s backyard studio, “Stock Cube.” This process aligns with the band's DIY ethos and intentionally resists the polished, overproduced aesthetic that contemporary digital tools often facilitate.

As producer, Gareth Parton transferred the cassette-based recordings into a digital audio workstation (DAW) for further editing and production. This involved correcting pitch and timing, replacing drum sounds, enhancing vocal production, and capturing additional parts. A key technical challenge of the project was the inherent instability of cassette tape playback, which introduced variable pitch and timing inconsistencies across recordings. Since individual tracks were spread across multiple cassettes, extensive time-alignment and elastic audio correction were required before mixing.

The production approach, merging analogue imperfections with modern digital enhancements, represents a hybrid aesthetic that might be described as Mid-Fi, a term playfully coined by the producer to characterise a sonic space that lies between lo-fi charm and hi-fi precision.

Notes

Monnone Alone. (2025). Here comes the afternoon [Album]. Lost and Lonesome; Meritorio Records; Safe Suburban Home; Repeating Cloud. https://monnonealone.bandcamp.com/album/here-comes-the-afternoon

Citation

Parton, G. (2025). Mid-Fi production of 'Here Comes The Afternoon' by Monnone Alone. [Staff Scholarship, SAE University College] Creo

Monnone Alone. (2025). Here comes the afternoon [Album]. Lost and Lonesome; Meritorio Records; Safe Suburban Home; Repeating Cloud. https://monnonealone.bandcamp.com/album/here-comes-the-afternoon

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