Music for Pleasure by Monaco (Review)

Monaco is the duo of Peter Hook and David Potts, introduced with the first single “What Do You Want From Me?” Monaco’s music is marked by the immediately distinctive bass playing of Hook, instantly familiar from his membership in Joy Division and New Order.

At their best, Monaco do what all great pop — including New Order — does; they incorporate into each song opposites and extremes that should contradict each other, but actually throw themselves into heightened relief.

The highly-sprung dance beat offset by the introspective lyric of a man on the edge of despair; the slow, considered acoustic grind of a ballad in which the singer proclaims his gladness; the chirpy electro-pop tones of the song in which he announces his wish that certain people should hurry up and die. The next single from the album will be “Sweet Lips.”

Written by Jeff Keibel.