Ducktails is a solo project led by American songwriter and guitarist Matt Mondanile, started in 2006.Hann, Michael (2013)
Ducktails: The Flower Lane – review
, ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'', January 24, 2013. Retrieved May 11, 2013Martins, Chris (2013)
See Ducktails Freeze in Central Park for 'Letter of Intent' Video
, ''

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spin (physics) or particle spin, a fundamental property of elementary particles * Spin quantum number, a number which defines the value of a particle's spin * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thr ...

'', February 22, 2013. Retrieved May 11, 2013

History

Origins and early recordings

Mondanile started Ducktails in a tool shed in

Northampton, Massachusetts The city of Northampton is the county seat of Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of Northampton (including its outer villages, Florence, Massachusetts, Florence and ...

the summer before his last year at

Hampshire College Hampshire College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts. It was opened in 1970 as an experiment in alternative education, in association with four other colleges ...

.Pelly, Liz (2013)
Ducktails The Flower Lane
", ''

Providence Phoenix Providence often refers to: * Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion * Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in some religions * Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...

'', January 23, 2013. Retrieved May 11, 2013Meighan, Nicola (2011)
Interview - Ducktails set for UK tour
, '' The List'', May 24, 2011. Retrieved May 11, 2013 The band name is a play on the title of the animated television series, ''

DuckTales DuckTales refers to: Film and television * ''DuckTales'' (1987 TV series), original TV series ** '' DuckTales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp'' * ''DuckTales'' (2017 TV series), reboot TV series Video games * ''DuckTales'' (video game) ...

'', from the late 1980s and early 1990s.Truss, Si (2011)
DUCKTAILS: DUCKTAILS III – ARCADE DYNAMICS
, ''

FACT A fact is a truth, true data, datum about one or more aspects of a circumstance. Standard reference works are often used to Fact-checking, check facts. Science, Scientific facts are verified by repeatable careful observation or measurement by ...

'', January 24, 2011. Retrieved May 11, 2013 He recorded his first release, ''1992 Demo'', on a 4-track with cheap multi effects pedals and a guitar. After leaving college he moved back to his parents' home in

Ridgewood, New Jersey Ridgewood is a Village (New Jersey), village in Bergen County, New Jersey, Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Ridgewood is a suburban commuter town, bedroom community of New York City, located approximately northwest of Midtown M ...

, where he recorded in the basement.Steeply, Hugh (2009)
Ducktails: Interview
,

Tiny Mix Tapes ''Tiny Mix Tapes'' (also ''TMT'' or ''tinymixtapes'') is an online music and film webzine that focuses primarily on new music and related news. In addition to its reviews, it is noted for its subversive, political, and sometimes surreal news, ...

, February 2009. Retrieved May 11, 2013 Between 2007 and 2012 he recorded several albums, singles, cassettes, and split releases, mostly recorded on cassette tape.Rathe, Adam (2013)
Ducktails’ Matt Mondanile Reveals His Top Five Flora
, mtvhive.com, January 24, 2013. Retrieved May 11, 2013Powell, Christopher (2013)
Ducktails ''The Flower Lane''
,

CMJ CMJ Holdings Corp. is a music events, online media company and a distributor of up and coming music CDs, originally founded in 1978, which ran a website, hosted an annual festival in New York City, and published two magazines, ''CMJ New Music ...

, January 29, 2013. Retrieved May 11, 2013Beta, Andy (2013)
How A Studio Changes Your Sound
,

NPR National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...

, February 28, 2013. Retrieved May 11, 2013Prado, Ryan J. (2013)
Life in the Flower Lane: Ducktails Blooms in the Big Apple
, ''

Portland Mercury ''Portland Mercury'' is an alternative bi-weekly newspaper and media company founded in 2000 in Portland, Oregon. It has a sibling publication in Seattle, Washington, called '' The Stranger''. History A prior version of ''The Mercury'' was ...

'', March 20, 2013. Retrieved May 11, 2013 After a tour of California in 2008, Ducktails performed at the echo curio venue in Los Angeles, where Britt, the owner of the Fun, Not Fun label, purchased numerous cassette from Mondanile, and signed him for an album. Ducktails' self-titled debut album proper was released in 2009 on the Not Not Fun label, followed later that year with ''

Landscapes A landscape is the visible features of an area of land, its landforms, and how they integrate with natural or human-made features, often considered in terms of their aesthetic appeal.''New Oxford American Dictionary''. A landscape includes the ...

,'' on the label Olde English Spelling Bee. The third album '' Ducktails III: Arcade Dynamics'' was released in 2011 on the

Woodsist Woodsist is an American independent record label founded in 2006 by Jeremy Earl of the band Woods and based in Stone Ridge, New York. Artists * Alex Bleeker and the Freaks * Art Museums * The Babies * Blank Dogs * Blues Control * The Chris ...

label, and saw a move away from improvised experiments towards

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop! (British group), a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Album ...

.Lymangrover, Jason
''Ducktails III: Arcade Dynamics'' Review
,

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

. Retrieved May 11, 2013Beta, Andy (2011)
Ducktails ''III: Arcade Dynamics''
, ''

'', March 2011, pp. 78-9. Retrieved May 11, 2013 Ducktails releases have received significant critical acclaim, most notably from

Pitchfork Media ''Pitchfork'' (formerly ''Pitchfork Media'') is an American online music magazine founded in 1996 by Ryan Schreiber in Minneapolis. It originally covered Alternative rock, alternative and independent music, and expanded to cover genres includin ...

who have favourably reviewed the albums, and produced two video features on the band. The band were associated with the mid-2000s

hypnagogic pop Hypnagogic pop (abbreviated as h-pop) is pop music, pop or psychedelic music that evokes cultural memory and 1980s nostalgia, nostalgia for the popular entertainment of the past (principally the 1980s). It emerged in the mid to late 2000s as Am ...

scene by critics.

Studio albums

In 2012 Mondanile signed to Domino Records and released '' The Flower Lane''. In contrast to his earlier work, it was recorded in a studio and mixed over the summer of 2012 with Al Carlson (

Peaking Lights Peaking Lights are a husband-and-wife music duo who met in San Francisco in 2006 and moved to Spring Green, Wisconsin in December 2007 where they lived until 2009. The couple then moved to Madison, Wisconsin, where they stayed until their return t ...

) and co-written by New Jersey band Big Troubles, who had backed Mondanile in live shows for some time.Clay, Joe (2013)
Ducktails ''The Flower Lane''
,

The Quietus ''The Quietus'' is a British online music and pop culture magazine founded by John Doran and Luke Turner. The site is an editorially independent publication led by Doran with a group of freelance journalists and critics. Content ''The Quietu ...

, February 1, 2013. Retrieved May 11, 2013 The ten-track album was released January 28, 2013, preceded by the single "Letter of Intent", which featured vocals from Jessa Farkas of Future Shuttle and bass from Joel Ford of

Ford & Lopatin Ford & Lopatin (formerly known as Games) is an American electronic duo composed of musicians Daniel Lopatin (better known as Oneohtrix Point Never) and Joel Ford (of the group Tigercity). The group's sound draws on disparate genres such as 1980 ...

.Brackbill, Shawn (2012)
Ducktails Announce New Album, Share Track
,

, October 10, 2012. Retrieved May 11, 2013Brown, Jacob (2012)
Song Debut: Ducktails' "Letter of Intent" Featuring Jessa Farkas
", ''

Vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** '' Vogue Adria'', a fashion magazine for former Yugoslav countries ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ' ...

'', December 4, 2012. Retrieved May 11, 2013Murray, Robin (2013)
Letter of Intent: Ducktails
, '' Clash'', March 12, 2013. Retrieved May 11, 2013 On January 23, 2013, Pitchfork TV broadcast a live stream of the band's album release show at Manhattan's

(Le) Poisson Rouge (Le) Poisson Rouge (often referred to as LPR) is a music venue and multimedia art cabaret in New York City founded in 2008 by Justin Kantor and David Handler on the former site of the Village Gate at 158 Bleecker Street. The performance space was ...

with guest appearances from Big Troubles, Joel Ford, Jessa Farkas, and Real Estate's Martin Courtney. On July 25, 2013, Ducktails performed in the courtyard of the

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street (Manhattan), 53rd Street between Fifth Avenue, Fifth and Sixth Avenues. MoMA's collection spans the late 19th century to the present, a ...

as part of PopRally's

MoMa The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street (Manhattan), 53rd Street between Fifth Avenue, Fifth and Sixth Avenues. MoMA's collection spans the late 19th century to the present, a ...

Nights series.Carew, Anthony (2011)
Interview: Matt Mondanile of Real Estate and Ducktails
",

About.com Dotdash Meredith (formerly The Mining Company, About.com and Dotdash) is an American digital media company based in New York City. The company publishes online articles and videos about various subjects across categories including health, hom ...

, October 11, 2011. Retrieved May 11, 2013 Mondanile then moved to Los Angeles in 2014, and began recording demos for his second studio album, ''St. Catherine.'' After a few studio sessions, Domino Records suggested Mondanile to work with a producer. Mondanile subsequently chose Robert Schnapf, who most notably worked Elliott Smith. Mondanile brought in notable musicians to collaborate, including Julia Holter and James Ferraro. Ducktails played many international festivals including

Primavera Sound Primavera Sound (commonly referred to as Primavera) is an annual music festival held at the Parc del Fòrum in Barcelona, Spain, during late May and early June. It was founded in 2001 by Pablo Soler as "a showcase for Spanish Noise rock, noise ban ...

and

Field Day Field day may refer to: * For the armed forces use and its derivatives, see wiktionary:field day * Field day (agriculture), a trade show * Field Day (amateur radio), an annual amateur radio exercise * Field Day (band), a Canadian pop-punk band fro ...

. As Ducktails, Mondanile has toured the world solo as well as with a band performing extensively in Australia, Japan, Europe, United States and Canada.Pelly, Jenn (2012)
Listen to Ducktails' "Letter of Intent", Featuring Oneohtrix Point Never on Synths
,

, December 4, 2012. Retrieved May 11, 2013 Mondanile has also collaborated with

Panda Bear The giant panda (''Ailuropoda melanoleuca''), also known as the panda bear or simply panda, is a bear species endemic to China. It is characterised by its white coat with black patches around the eyes, ears, legs and shoulders. Its body is ...

Animal Collective Animal Collective is an American experimental pop band formed in Baltimore County, Maryland. Its members consist of Avey Tare (David Portner), Panda Bear (Noah Lennox), Geologist (Brian Weitz), and Deakin (Josh Dibb). The band's work is cha ...

as well as Madeline Follin of

Cults Cults are social groups which have unusual, and often extreme, religious, spiritual, or philosophical beliefs and rituals. Extreme devotion to a particular person, object, or goal is another characteristic often ascribed to cults. The term ha ...

and Dan Lopatin of

Oneohtrix Point Never Daniel Lopatin (born July 25, 1982), best known as Oneohtrix Point Never or OPN, is an American Experimental music, experimental electronic music producer, composer, singer, and songwriter. His music has utilized wikt:trope, tropes from various ...

. Their music was positively reviewed by the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

and is regularly played on

BBC 6Music BBC Radio 6 Music is a British digital radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It primarily plays a wide range of alternative music, from established and emerging artists and bands. In 2002 it was the first national music radio station t ...

by the likes of

Gideon Coe Gideon Jon Quantrill Coe (born 22 September 1967) is a radio DJ, presenter, sportscaster, voiceover artist and journalist. Early career He began his broadcasting career in 1976 as a child presenter on the BBC One TV programme '' Why Don't You? ...

Marc Riley Marc Riley (born 10 July 1961) is an English radio DJ, alternative rock critic, musician, and former music businessman. He currently presents on BBC Radio 6 Music. Formerly a member of The Fall, he co-owned a record label, In-Tape, and also w ...

and

Don Letts Donovan Letts (born 10 January 1956) is a British film director, disc jockey (DJ) and musician. Letts first came to prominence as the videographer for the Clash, directing several of their music videos. In 1984, Letts co-founded the band Big Au ...

. In 2016, Mondanile began recording of what would become his sixth album, Jersey Devil, in his studio in downtown Los Angeles. Early song writing sessions included collaborations with ''Girls'' Guitarist, John Anderson. While recording Jersey Devil, Mondanile moved back to New Jersey to record and write the remainder of the album. He asked Steve Shelley, drummer of Sonic Youth to mix the album in his studio, Echo Canyon West, located in Hoboken. Shelley recommended Ernie Indratat to engineer, and the album's production was completed in August 2017. Jersey Devil was subsequently released on Mondanile's own label, New Images Limited on October 6, 2017. Mondanile released two compilations, Daffy Duck in Hollywood, and Hummingbird Babysitter, featuring unused material from the Jersey Devil recording sessions between 2015 and 2017. The compilations were initially distributed on cassettes during a European tour in May 2017, which featured acts James Ferraro and Spencer Clark. On October 14, 2017, it was reported that Mondanile's departure from Real Estate was due to allegations made against Mondanile regarding his "unacceptable treatment of women." Prior to the band's statement, Mondanile had denied the allegations. As a result of these

sexual misconduct Sexual misconduct is misconduct of a sexual nature which exists on a spectrum that may include a broad range of sexual behaviors considered unwelcome. This includes conduct considered inappropriate on an individual or societal basis of morality, ...

allegations, Ducktails tour dates in Asia and the U.S. were cancelled by the promoters, publicist Daniel Gill and former label Woodsist ceased working with Ducktails, and Ducktails was dropped by the Japanese label Plancha. Most of Ducktails' albums were also briefly removed from streaming services. In early 2018, Mondanile began writing his next album, ''Watercolors.'' He moved to

Athens, Greece Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

, and continued writing the album. In August 2018, Mondanile moved to

Antwerp, Belgium Antwerp (; ; ) is a city and a municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of Antwerp Province, and the third-largest city in Belgium by area at , after Tournai and Couvin. With a population of 565,039, ...

, to live with his girlfriend and wrote the majority of the album there. However, he would routinely fly back to Athens to record with sound engineer and member of Voyage Limpid Sound, Sergios Voudris, in the Diskex studio. The album was released in June 2019. Although not many publications reviewed the album, it was received positively by critics. In September 2019, Mondanile released his third compilation, which included previously unreleased material from 2014 to 2018, titled Hard Rock Cafe Chernobyl.

Musical style

The band's music has been alternately characterized as "

", "woozy, horizontal pop" and "

lo-fi Lo-fi (also typeset as lofi or low-fi; short for low fidelity) is a music or production quality in which elements usually regarded as imperfections in the context of a recording or performance are present, sometimes as a deliberate stylistic ch ...

".FACT mix 369: Ducktails
, ''

'', February 11, 2013. Retrieved May 11, 2013Howells, Tom
Ducktails ''The Flower Lane''
, ''Crack''. Retrieved May 11, 2013

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

described their work as "all burbling analog synths, bedroom processing, and sunburnt soundscapes." Jason Lymangrover in '' The List'' described Ducktails releases as having "a sketchpad feel to them" described as "a typically giddy blend of psych,

drone Drone or The Drones may refer to: Science and technology Vehicle * Drone, a type of uncrewed vehicle, a class of robot ** Unmanned aerial vehicle or aerial drone *** Unmanned combat aerial vehicle ** Unmanned ground vehicle or ground drone ** Unma ...

, summer jams, tropical riffs and hazy vocalisms". Early recordings were freeform jams, once described as "bizarre,

krautrock Krautrock (also called , German for ) is a broad genre of experimental rock that developed in Germany in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It originated among artists who blended elements of psychedelic rock, avant-garde composition, and electron ...

-influenced sound collages", but later material has more conventional song structures, more akin to his work in Real Estate.Neyland, Nick (2012)
Ducktails "The Flower Lane"
,

, October 10, 2012. Retrieved May 11, 2013Jack, Malcolm (2013)
Ducktails - The Flower Lane
, '' The List'', January 17, 2013. Retrieved May 11, 2013Mincher, Chris (2013)
Ducktails ''The Flower Lane''
,

The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was created in ...

, January 29, 2013. Retrieved May 11, 2013 Liz Pelly, reviewing ''The Flower Lane'' for the ''

'' described his earlier work as "collaged pop ideas with kaleidoscopic filters and home-recorded hiss". In a 2009 interview, Mondanile described his live performances as "improvised and more like drone music". He explained his preference for recording on cassette: "I like the idea of everything being as raw-sounding as possible, with nothing covering up the sound. It's like the only thing covering it up might be the quality of the recording.

Band members

Current * Matt Mondanile vocals, guitar, keyboards (2006–present) Former * Alex Craig guitar (2013–2015) * Luka Usmiani bass guitar (2013–2014) * Ian Drennan guitar (2013–2014) * Samuel Franklin drums (2013–2014) * Josh da Costa bass guitar (2015–2016) * Malcolm Perkins guitar (2015–2016) * Ross Chait drums (2015–2016) * Dale Simmons keyboard (2015–2016)

Timeline

Discography

Studio albums * '' Ducktails'' (2009) Not Not Fun * ''

'' (2009) Olde English Spelling Bee * '' Ducktails III: Arcade Dynamics'' (2011) Woodsist * '' The Flower Lane'' (2013) Domino * '' St. Catherine'' (2015) Domino * ''

Jersey Devil In South Jersey and Philadelphia folklore in the United States, the Jersey Devil, also known as the Leeds Devil, is a legendary creature, or cryptid, said to inhabit the forests of the Pine Barrens in South Jersey. The creature is often describ ...

'' (2017) New Images * ''Watercolors'' (2019) New Images * ''Impressions'' (2021) New Images * ''The Cradle'' (2023) New Images EPs * ''Ducktails (2008), Breaking World Records * '' Killin the Vibe'' (2011), New Images * ''Wish Hotel'' (2013), Domino Compilations * ''Backyard'' (2009) Release The Bats * ''Daffy Duck in Hollywood'' (2017) New Images * ''Hummingbird Babysitter'' (2017) New Images * ''Hard Rock Cafe Chernobyl'' (2019) New Images * ''Ramapo River Anthology'' (2021) New Images * ''Sketches'' (2021) New Images Singles * "Mirror Image" (2010), SHDWPLY * "Hamilton Road" (2010), Olde English Spelling Bee * "Letter of Intent" (2013), Domino * "Headbanging in the Mirror" (2015), Domino * "Surreal Exposure" (2015), Domino * "Don't Wanna Let You Know " (2015) New Images * "Plastic Melody" (2018) New Images * "New Dream" (2018) New Images * "Answered in a Prayer" (2019) New Images * "Impression / Only a Fool" (2021) New Images Remixes * ''Mind Mischief –

Tame Impala Tame Impala is the psychedelic music project of Australian singer and multi-instrumentalist Kevin Parker (musician), Kevin Parker. In the recording studio, Parker writes, records, performs, and produces all of the project's music. As a touring a ...

'' (2013),

Modular Recordings Modular Recordings (known simply as Modular) was an Australian record label founded in 1998 by Steve Pavlovic that by 2015 was owned by Universal Music Australia. It has released music from local artists such as Eskimo Joe, Ben Lee, The Ava ...

Live recordings * ''Live On WFMU'' (2010), Inflated Split releases * Julian Lynch/Ducktails split EP (2009), Underwater Peoples * ''Bored Fortress'' (2010), Not Not Fun – split single with Rangers * Ducktails/Dracula Lewis split (2010), No Fun Cassette-only releases * ''1992 Demo'' (2007), Future Sound Recordings * ''Dreams In Mirror Field'' (2007), Future Sound Recordings * ''II'' (2008), Future Sound Recordings * ''Acres Of Shade'' (2008), Arbor * ''Summer Of Saucers'' (2008, 2nd edition 2013)
DNT
– split with Mudboy * ''Ducktails / Gang Wizard / Vluba / Golden Cup'' (2008), 8mm * ''Universal Mutant Studios'' (2009), Stenze Quo Musik/Historiaens – split with Buffle, In the Eye of Vision, and Cotopaxi * ''Lost'' (2010), Fuck It Tapes

References

External links

New Images
{{Authority control 2006 establishments in New Jersey Musical groups established in 2006 Alternative rock groups from New Jersey Psychedelic pop music groups Domino Recording Company artists Hypnagogic pop musicians Chillwave musicians