Synth-induced string bends, introspective lyrics and catchy noodles, Moni Jitchell have returned with a new record coated in experimentation.

Not to be confused with Canadian folk-rock singer Joni Mitchell, Moni Jitchell is a Glasgow-based prog band. Contrary to popular belief, their name takes little to no influence from Joni Mitchell’s melancholic sound; instead, it reflects the duo’s charming wit. 

Forming in 2019, frontman Grant Donaldson and guitarist/bassist David Scott set out to create a band that merged their love for no wave, hardcore, and hip hop into one swift project. Seven years on, and their discography shows that pushing the boundaries is at the core of what they do.

That’s how we arrive at ‘Aware,’ their sophomore LP. Throughout this record, the duo establish a more streamlined presence than ever, honing every riff and tapping into a more cohesive space, one that boasts unapologetic soundwaves through swaggering choruses, unusual string bends, and introspective lyrics. 

To learn more about their journey and how it shaped this new record, Rock Sound sat down with Grant and David.

Rock Sound: Firstly, let’s dive into your band name. What’s the story behind how that conversation went?

Grant Donaldson: We were really stuck, because we’ve both been in bands together and separately for so long. We both agreed there is no good band name. We couldn’t decide on anything. I think we were in a group chat and someone accidentally sent a spoonerism of Joni Mitchell, then David messaged me in block capitals, MONI JITCHELL, and I was like, ‘Sure.’

David Scott: Neither of us dislikes Joni Mitchell, but also neither of us have a relationship with her music. That’s now the joke. There were a lot of Glasgo bands with names like us back when we started. We thought, ‘what’s the worst Glasgo poster band you’d see playing the bottom of a five-band bill?’ and Moni Jitchell fit that parameter. It also just takes the pressure off, having to think of something good. All band names are bad, but if you pick the worst one, you’re impervious to anyone thinking, ‘why are you called that?’

RS: How does Moni Jitchell navigate a large sound with just the two of you?

Grant: When we started this, it was originally going to be a four-piece band. We wrote a lot of stuff when David moved back to Glasgow in 2019. We wrote the first batch of tunes and went to record them just before COVID. After lockdown, our practice room was tiny, so we could only really do it as the two of us. Part of [why we’re a two-piece is because] we have the technology where we can bounce everything we need to our phone. 

David: We have never wanted to work with a laptop because it’s too much to carry. Also, people we know have had horror stories from the early 2000s, when they didn’t have solid-state hard drives, and if you didn’t have drums beside it, it would skip and jump. Also, I don’t want to use looper pedals; I’ve always hated that stuff. We wanted to get the sound of everything, without relying on those tricks or technology. We have a simple setup; apart from our backing tracks, everything is typical band stuff. 

RS: Lyrically, ‘Aware,’ dives deeper than you ever have before, touching on Jean Piaget’s psychological workings. What about Piaget’s work stood out to you, and how did you find a way to express this sonically?

Grant: The first batch of recordings we did was quite far apart because of COVID. The way we wrote the material was really fast at that time. However, for this [record] we wanted it to be more cohesive with all of the videos and artwork. There’s a common thread through all of it. Coming out of the pandemic, I was having a tough time. I had studied Psychology at university and was tidying my books. I did a human development course at university that covered a lot of Piaget’s work. I was re-reading some of it, and the word ‘aware’ kept coming up. I had that in my head a lot, lyrically, when we began recording new songs.

RS: You both tapped into new spaces for this record. David, you have mentioned you feel a lot more comfortable using your 12-string guitar now – what do you think was the definitive shift?

David: Because a 12-string is a six-string, with the strings doubled, when you bend those out of place, they react differently than if you bend one note. We often found this out live when it went out of tune. This became the challenge. We were experimenting with the idea of, ‘What happens when you add no wave, hardcore 31G riffs on a 12-string,’ and ‘What more can we get out of this?’ I also had to get used to how it sounds with an amp. It’s more of a sonic thing than playing it like a guitar. 

Grant: When David and I started this, we were just jamming and having fun. This is the first band I’ve ever been a vocalist for. I’ve always been a drummer, which is my main thing. I’ve had no lessons (which is probably obvious), but we’ve been figuring it out as we go. A lot of the time, we’re just trying to capture the energy and replicate that in an album.  

RS: You guys have mentioned you’re fans of hip-hop, but what other genres or bands have played a pivotal role in your own band?

Grant: For the last couple of years, I have listened to so little heavy music. Not because there isn’t good heavy music coming out, more because it isn’t engaging with me. I’m sure David won’t mind me saying we’ve both been listening to a lot of The Tragically Hip and loads of R.E.M. For two guys who are in their 30s, we’re really getting into our dad rock. 

The most recent band I’ve been obsessed with is caroline. I loved their first record and all the singles, then their album from last year; I listen to it at least once a week.

David: The Tragically Hip is definitely a big one. I remember ‘Aware’ in particular; we wanted to make a stompier, slower one. We couldn’t get it to work; I couldn’t figure out what I wanted it to be. The chords on that are definitely a bit The Tragically Hip, or R.E.M., Pearl Jam-[coded]. It’s got a big glittery chorus. I’ve also been listening to a lot of Billy Woods and Armand Hammer, and even some dancier techno stuff.

Interestingly, a lot of the guitar music I’ve been listening to lately is a lot longer-form. Like Horse Lords’ record is my number one [album] of the year. 

RS: Your debut LP, ‘Unreal,’ set the tone, and now ‘Aware,’ fittingly titled, carries on with a stronger understanding of what type of band you want to be. Can you fill us in a little on the journey you’ve taken to get here?

Grant: Good question. It’s been a lot of trial and error. Between this being the first band that I’m a vocalist in, and David playing a guitar that isn’t a regular six-string, we’ve approached this in a different format to how we would in other bands. 

We’ve been fortunate enough to play with a lot of international bands, too. Our third gig was supporting Mclusky, in a 600-capacity room in Glasgow. Doing that fresh out of the pandemic set us on to work on ourselves. It’s maybe taken a while, but this is definitely the best version of what we’re working towards. 

David: I think the fact that people like this has been interesting. I don’t mean that in the sense of, ‘It’s good to be popular.’ It’s more that I’ve often played in bands that have been deliberately off-putting in some ways. Grant, early on, persuaded me from my worst impulses on that. We’ve written this album in the sense of getting better, which is something I haven’t always necessarily thought about. It’s been an interesting challenge to write music while questioning, ‘how can we make this song even better?’ 

Grant: It’s odd, after doing this for so long. We’ve sent records to America, Japan and around Europe. I’ve been baffled by that because in other bands I’ve struggled to sell 20 CDs in the city I live in. So far, it’s been really cool.