Monét Ngo, a Vietnamese-American artist has just published his new EP ‘After School Club,’ which offers a deep and poignant meaning about his own coming-of-age experience, reminiscing about constantly feeling like a “failure” and being on the sidelines.
Monét Ngo’s TikTok account, which he started a few months ago, has over 14 million likes and 35k followers, and he updates about himself and his music on a regular basis. Monét Ngo has over 183,000 monthly listeners and over 2 million plays across his three current albums since the release of his debut ‘Lonestar’ in April 2022.
The EP employs hyper-pop production techniques such as vocal pitching, distortion, and electronic synthesis, which are combined with alternative rock chords and percussion rhythms. It’s a distinct combination of different musical genres that stands out, capable of expressing feeling and emotion through a distinct style and approach.
‘After School Club’ is a mix of emotion and raw indie rock from the 2000s, with elements of hyper-pop. The EP begins with ‘Summer Wind,’ a dreamy piece of guitar bends and grunge-like chords drenched in faraway reverb.
The lead single “Bleachers”, is potentially Monét’s strongest work to date, with crunchy guitar riffs forming the foundation for his layered, nu-school indie electronica stylings. It’s an underdog story about Monét rising to the situation and ultimately getting a chance to shine.
Each single has a huge and strong sound, and they all work together to give you a taste of Monét Ngo’s genuine experiences. Breakdown portions of ‘Real Ass Love Story’ incorporate voices of him leaving a message on someone’s phone, illustrating Monét Ngo’s attention to detail in song construction.
Monét speaks on the EP and says “The After school club is a mixed bag, it’s essentially an accumulation of experiences and lessons I’ve learned, into a collection of music. After a long day of work, there’s so much baggage to unload and your life to live. But here you are, stuck at the « After School Club ». It’s a place to let it all out. All your emotions, good or bad it’s there. The After school club could be anything you make it. It’s a lesson, a second home, and most of all it’s a place where we are not alone.“
The album concludes with his most hit tune to date, “Ruby Sparks,” which has had over 1.2 million Spotify listens.
After School Club’s inventive arrangement and song structure take you on a trip from beginning to end.