Monta At Odds to release surprise EP A Great Conjunction on the Winter Solstice

On December 21, 2020, a once in a multi-generation event occurs: Jupiter and Saturn will appear to converge, forming a rare ‘double-planet’ in the sky. It’s an extraordinary event, last occurring in 1226 and not seen again for many millennia. Electronic prognosticators Monta At Odds are cosmically tuned to such happenings, inspired by the mysteries of our universe. Thus the band presents A Great Conjunction, a five-song EP to commemorate the merging of planets and our earthly flights of imagination.

These tunes form a soundtrack to the planetary event, five songs linked together by the vastness of space and as a meditation on our infinitesimal place in the universe. “Embrace The Night” opens the EP with an opulent chug alongside synth ponderings and Krystof Nemeth’s homesick guitar. Teri Quinn then expressively vocalizes a paean to galactic connection, scanning for signals from the stars. Expansive space-rock follows in the form of “The Gods Are Conspiring.” Alexander Thomas’s drums rumble as the brothers Delaney and Dedric Moore layer on synths, bass, and other treatments with mind-altering results. “Elegant Approach” is a wind-up, all ‘sturm und drang’ and some heavy jazz rhythms (courtesy of drummer Matthew Heinrich) until morphing into a bass-lined melodic sound-trip. “Advent of a New Trigon” seems to coincide with the actual pairing of Saturn and Jupiter, Teri Quinn casting regenerative spells to the horizon with her voice and lyrics. And the EP closes with “Slide Away Gradually,” an instrumental callback to “Embrace The Night” which underscores the endless cycles of nature, the Great Conjunction certain to occur again and again and again.