Q&A: almost monday Embrace The Moment On ‘THANK GOD IT’S ALMOST MONDAY’
INTERVIEW
INTERVIEW
☆ BY DANY MIRELES ☆
Photo by John Mark Crenshaw
WE WANT TO KEEP MAKING MUSIC FROM A PURE PLACE OF INSPIRATION AND PASSION—After years of touring, writing and growing up alongside each other, almost monday are entering a new chapter with THANK GOD IT’S ALMOST MONDAY,their highly anticipated sophomore album. Following the success of DIVE and a run of shows supporting Young The Giant, the band has returned with a record that embraces the joy of making music together and the vulnerable moments that come with it.
The album’s title originates as a phrase the band used as merchandise in 2019, eventually taking a much more personal meaning. Rather than simply playing on the familiar “thank god it’s Friday,” THANK GOD IT’S ALMOST MONDAY reflects their gratitude for each other. With a sound that moves between upbeat, joyful tracks and more emotionally charged moments, the album represents a natural progression from DIVE while allowing the band to explore a new side of their artistry.
In conversation with The Luna Collective, almost monday opens up about the making of the record, finding inspiration after an intense period of touring, working with longtime collaborators, translating their songs to the stage and staying grounded to their sound despite the growing expectations surrounding them.
LUNA: You’ve just wrapped up a tour with Young the Giant, and now you’re about to release your sophomore album. How are you feeling heading into this next chapter as a band?
ALMOST MONDAY: We couldn’t be more excited for people to hear the new album and we can’t wait to play it live. It feels like a good natural progression from our debut album DIVE.
LUNA: The title THANK GOD IT’S ALMOST MONDAY immediately stands out. At what point did that phrase become the identity of the album, and what does it represent to you?
ALMOST MONDAY: The phrase has been circulating for a while. Back in 2019 we made some merch that had the phrase on it. We didn’t have a title at the start of making the album and throughout the process the phrase resurfaced and felt like it made sense. To most people who first see the phrase they’ll probably think of it as a play on “thank god it’s friday” or something but to us it's taken on meaning that we’re just grateful that we’re still in this band and able to make music and travel the world playing it together. We’re thankful that we’re still doing almost monday and not something else.
LUNA: When you first started writing this record, did you have a clear vision of what you wanted it to sound like, or did the direction reveal itself as you kept creating?
ALMOST MONDAY: We started making this record following a heavy season of touring. We knew we didn’t want to take too long to follow up our debut record so we just jumped straight into making songs following whatever was currently inspiring us. We don’t normally put up too many guard rails when it comes to making songs, we just go for it and if it ends up not being the right sound or it leans too far in one way that doesn’t fit the band then we just move on to the next track. Once we had a solid amount of standout tracks we could start visualizing how the album was going to flow and what sonic threads carried on from DIVE and what was going to be the sound defining this new record.
LUNA: Every album tends to have a moment where everything clicks creatively. Was there a particular song or studio session that made you realize, “This is what this record is going to be”?
ALMOST MONDAY: I don’t remember there being a specific moment but maybe a handful of small moments along the way when finishing certain songs. The record has a fairly wide range sonically so there were a few different milestones in helping define the album when we’d finished a song that felt like our best attempt at a certain side of our sound.
Photo by John Mark Crenshaw
LUNA: This album feels like it balances polished production with moments that are really raw and emotional. How do you approach finding that balance without losing the heart of the songs?
ALMOST MONDAY: For us, a lot of times we start writing a song with the early stages of production on a track. The song identity and meaning usually comes during the making of the track which can inform what the feeling of the song is going to portray. I think to keep the conviction and heart of the song, the production should feel like it’s a natural pairing with the meaning, helping to support and accentuate those feelings. Although there have been plenty of songs we’ve made where the production ends up being more of a juxtaposition to the meaning behind the song.
LUNA: You worked with producers whose previous credits include artists like OneRepublic and The Killers. What did those collaborations challenge you to do differently, whether as songwriters, musicians or producers?
ALMOST MONDAY: We worked on this album with our long-time collaborator Simon Oscroft, and we made a few of the songs with Chase Lawrence. We learned so much from working with them, and they’ve really challenged us to approach different ways of songwriting and flipping the process on its head to avoid feeling the fatigue of doing things the same way. On this album, they’ve challenged us to draw out some really personal and meaningful lyrics and try different sides of our sound that we haven’t explored before.
LUNA: You’ve collaborated with artists like Sofi Tukker and Jordana in the past. Do you find that working with other artists changes the way you approach your own music, even after those collaborations are over?
ALMOST MONDAY: Working with really talented people like them has shown us what is possible for our sound and how a track in the future could be approached differently as a remix or adding a feature. Sometimes we’ve purposely tried to remix a track in the works if it’s feeling bland or needs a makeover creatively.
LUNA: Having just spent time performing these songs—or at least living with them while touring—has playing live changed the way you think about any of the tracks on the album? Were there any songs that evolved because of the stage?
ALMOST MONDAY: We’ve only played about three of the new album tracks live so far, but I think they’ve shown us that what we were envisioning a track to feel like in the studio can become a reality on the stage, and it’s good to follow those instincts during the process. We will definitely change arrangements of songs to fit the live show better, but all the tracks on the album are already finished and off to print on vinyl.
LUNA: With over 1.5 billion streams, a late-night television debut and an iHeartRadio nomination, there are a lot of external milestones surrounding the band right now. How do you stay focused on making music that still feels exciting and authentic to you instead of chasing expectations?
ALMOST MONDAY: At the core of everything, we want to keep making music from a pure place of inspiration and passion. If after the music really connects with people and is recognized that is great but it isn’t the driving force behind doing it. It’s tough to not have any expectations, but if you can come to peace that what you want to put out in the world is true to you and what you love then I think that is most important.
LUNA: Once listeners reach the final track of THANK GOD IT’S ALMOST MONDAY, what conversation or feeling do you hope stays with them after the album is over?
ALMOST MONDAY: The record is filled with joyful, upbeat songs and heartfelt emotional ones, so I think the only hope is that people can connect in their own way to any of the tracks, whether it's something to help them get through a tough time in their lives or soundtrack a fun night out and everything in between.
