Monsieur Herr once again finds himself head-on with his latest 12-track album, “Buying Into the Hype.” Still, at almost exactly 43 minutes, the album offers a kaleidoscopic overview of indie rock, post-punk, art rock, new wave, and psychedelic dabbling all channeled through an artist who, it must be stressed, knows precisely what he’s doing even if he acts like he doesn’t.
This is music that half-mocks and half-embraces its own existence as cynical, theatrical, alarmingly heady, and self-aware. “Buying Into the Hype” encourages you to consider whether you just want to go with the flow. Lines like those on “Irony Poisoning” and “Learning to Ignore the Problem” gleam here among the wit and fact that the melodic turns are close to home. And “Real Frightening Love” and “Uranium Glass” venture into a still eerier sound world, striking a balance between distance and emotional heft.
The wittily named “Cloak of Mirrors,” a three-part conceptual suite, directly suggests Monsieur Herr’s fascination with image, self-perception, and the irony of how we see ourselves versus how we are seen by others. “Buying Into the Hype” is an affectionate critique of modern music culture and a celebration of it. You can choose to laugh, cringe, nod along, or hit replay to wrap your head around it.
Connect with Monsieur Herr on Instagram – @monsieurherr
Follow Monsieur Herr on | Facebook | X | Spotify |
