‘Not By Design’, the EP by Monrad is his sort of music. There are six songs and the content makes sense as it centers on emotional sentiments and the hardest years that one has to traverse. Mostly, that tends to be the age between twenty and forty. Themes such as cheating, heartache, loss, betrayal and breakage in the normal lifecycle, become the focal point of the memories in the EP. In my opinion, it is the exposition of the images and the closeness to reality that makes this EP stand out from the rest. What comes to your mind first is, How was this basic idea interwoven with meaningful lyrics. “On Fire” is the first one and puts the argument that there should be no excuse for not attaining the set ambitions. The track has a wonderful beat, the sort that rises and falls, and the overall sentiment is one of struggle which plays as a gentle nudge for hard work to the audience.
“Not Yet” happens to be a really slow and soft-tone song with minimalistic beats utilized for deeper messages. Monrad’s feelings when he is breaking up with her are one of loss and regret but are fairly stable no longer does it create the inner feeling of anger so to speak. Thus, the focal point of the song transforms into portraying one of the various aspects of emotional trauma as it depicts being amidst the pain of separation from a beloved person. “Caught Up” follows along the trend set in the second single and maintains a high tempo which could be considered an adequate representation of life today which is fast-paced and thoroughly engaging. Ironically, even when people draw the weary mood of the piece, there is nothing unrealistic in wishing to be so far removed from the world so much. Likewise, in “Rumble”, the perception of the relationship is taken higher, ignoring low-level feelings as being utterly trivial. There is nothing scripted in the lines, which contributes to the cause of emphasizing that intimacy is more than a physical encounter. It is an excellent song that is extremely captivating and enjoyable to listen to.
“The Game” investigates the patterns of daily life, perhaps, quite ordinary, whose lyrics are insightful supporting a good beat. It enhances this feeling of firing up but in a soft manner instead, that is, it urges us not to rest searching for meaning in the ordinary. The other songs remain on track and try to explore the theme of struggle and victory through intuitive narratives. Waking every single track enhances the idea of this EP and is very contextual making the experience again an emotional roller coaster.
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