Q&A: Little Monarch Keeps it Calm, Cool and Collected on New Single “Same Old”
☆ BY Kristian Gonzales ☆
Photos by Adam Brown
EVEN WHILE PACING HERSELF AT 110% — Casey Kalmenson never forgets to keep things chill as she rides high. The leader of her indie-pop/soul hybrid brainchild Little Monarch, she’s recently wrapped up a major spot playing in the backing band for Gracie Abrams’ The Good Riddance Tour, which included multiple opening act performances for Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour. Even after all this, Kalmenson doesn’t break a sweat, recently releasing her whimsical new single, “Same Old.”
Displaying her slender blues-soaked vocals, Kalmenson supplements the song’s groovy synths and jazzy coffee house piano keys with a tinge of brisk nonchalance. Emphatically singing, “Keep fucking with the same old energy, but it wasn’t good for you,” she controls her own destiny in evolving her aura with the times. Succeeding the emotional release of her recent single, “Tears,” “Same Old” finds Kalmenson afloat on the same wave.
Paying her dues for years of mileage through various pursuits in the creative jungle of LA, such as sync work with ESPN for the LA Clippers and teaching music at schools, Kalmenson has found a vessel in Little Monarch. In the band, she channels her fondness for uplifting and hypnotizing narratives into a retro yet refreshing sound.
Catch up with Little Monarch below as she digs into the creation of the single and her journey from LA’s music scene into her work.
LUNA: What was the process behind the creation of "Same Old"? What was your inspiration for the single's tone?
KALMENSON: My friend Marco Apicella, who made the song with me, was just over hanging in the studio and we started to mess around with that bass line idea for the song on my Juno [synthesizer]. It was just thick and sultry, and that really was the catalyst for the whole song to start. My inspiration for the lyrics [was] pulled from some friends [who] at the time just kept repeating old relationship patterns and expecting different results. They would spill the gossip and ask my advice and it just felt like we were going in circles instead of them actually taking steps to make a change. Stuck in the “same old” cycles… So really [I] just tried to build the world around it, making the song feel slinky [and] playful, yet with a tinge of warning.
LUNA: I love how bouncy and funky the production is on this track. Who was a particular influence you had in mind instrumentally?
KALMENSON: Thank you! I listen to a lot of Jamiroquai and I think I am always trying to get close to that sonic North Star in the stuff I make. Other artists like Neil Frances, Leisure, and Mndsgn make really amazing music that always inspires me.
LUNA: Does "Same Old" share a sense of an emotional progression that succeeds the atmosphere from your previous single, "Tears"?
KALMENSON: I guess a bit, sure. Maybe unintentionally. All of these songs are meant to lead up to an album drop next year, so I think I just have that whole world in me that I am still creating. Those two songs are for sure a bit more about the moments before that reemergence into the lighter feelings and days.
LUNA: In regards to your penchant for not getting put into one box as an artist in terms of genre, do you get additional inspiration from your experiences in teaching music and running your own studio/label?
KALMENSON: Oh, for sure. I love to have my hands in a lot of different things, and by proxy I think I’ve developed a wide range of skills and am not afraid of making whatever kind of music feels good in that particular phase of my life. These days you don't have to pay as much attention to genre as you used to, which really suits creatives like me [who] love to touch on a bit of everything.
LUNA: As a homegrown representative of LA's music scene, what could you say are the biggest hurdles you've overcome in finding your sound and audience coming up in this environment? Being from LA, do you think it can give you an early advantage in being ready to hit a national stage?
KALMENSON: LA is an amazing place to find your creative soulmates, that's for sure. I am so lucky to have tons of friends who have become collaborators and visa versa. I would say the downside is you sometimes feel a bit overwhelmed by how many artists and opportunities there are. [It] feels like you can just get lost in the mix and lose perspective on what your own authentic sound is. It's a very competitive market and maybe not one where you are going to find your super fans, just because everyone is going to five shows a week and works in entertainment, so they are constantly saturated by new works.
I grew up in a household of performers and creatives so I was really lucky to be encouraged to perform and make art from a very young age. I think that is such a gift because it gave me confidence that I still have today — around my family and network fully supporting and even commiserating with the artist's journey.
LUNA: With this year reaching its last stages, what can you say about what you have in store with your music heading into 2024?
KALMENSON: As I mentioned before, I am working on a full album, which I have plans to put out in 2024. Hopefully even a little tour around my own album and some pretty amazing collaborations coming up next year, as well!
