INTERVIEW: Moni Jitchell On Becoming Their Best Selves On New Album ‘Aware’

Glasgow prog duo Moni Jitchell have released ‘Aware’, their second album, with a more cohesive and streamlined sound. The record combines unusual guitar work and swaggering choruses with introspective lyrics, marking a new stage in the band’s exploration of different musical influences.

The album’s themes grew partly from frontman Grant Donaldson revisiting psychologist Jean Piaget’s work after a difficult period following the pandemic. The band began as a planned four-piece in 2019 but settled into a two-person lineup after lockdown, using backing tracks while keeping the rest of their setup simple. Donaldson and guitarist-bassist David Scott say the deliberately awkward band name came from a group-chat spoonerism of Joni Mitchell.