It's been nearly eight years since the last Mondo Drag album came out. In that time, the Bay Area psych-prog band toured the US and Europe, performed at major festivals and once again reformed their rhythm section. But in the context of the band's nearly two-decade existence, this period may have been the most fraught. Vocalist and keyboardist John Gamiño lost friends and family members. Meanwhile, humanity suffered the throes of a global pandemic.
The feeling of time slipping away is the prevailing theme on Mondo Drag's new album, Through the Hourglass. Luckily, Mondo Drag emerged from this dour period reborn. Freshly energized by bassist Conor Riley (formerly of San Diego psych squad Astra, currently of Birth), who joined in 2018, and drummer Jimmy Perez, who joined in 2022, Gamino and guitarists Jake Sheley and Nolan Girard have triumphed over the seemingly inexorable pull of time's passage.
Through the Hourglass was tracked at El Studio in San Francisco, with an additional ten days of recording at the band's rehearsal space, which doubles as a hybrid analog-digital recording studio. The album was engineered and mixed by Phil Becker, drummer of space-punk mainstays Pins Of Light.
