(EDITOR’S NOTE — Buffalo hardcore band Monomaniac will be releasing its first EP, ‘Between the Eyes,’ on Friday, which it recorded with well-known engineer Nick Borgosz of Sound Authentic. The five-track EP explores some deep subject matter, which the band was gracious enough recently to speak about with 1120 Press. As always, Monomaniac was earnest and thoughtful and we had a great discussion, which we’re happy to bring you below. You can catch Monomaniac live later this month when the band marks the release of ‘Between the Eyes’ on Jan. 17 at Amvets Post 13. — Photo by Will Bates.)
1120 PRESS: Thank you for speaking with us and congratulations on the new EP! Not a bad way to kick off 2025. How does it feel to have the record done and set for release?
LOGAN (guitar): It’s been a wild ride since we recorded it back in April, finalized things around late November, and finally announcing it in early December. But it feels great and I’m really excited for us to move into the next phase of the band.
DEREK (vocals): Feels amazing. This is my first EP I am releasing, in general, and Monomaniac’s first EP all around. Feels great. We put a lot into the making of the EP. Very excited and blessed to share it!
REGAN (drums): It’s very exciting to finally be able to share this EP with everyone. Some of these songs have been on our setlist for way over a year, and I can’t wait for people to listen and recognize them, and finally be able to sing them back to us and relate to them in some sort of way.
1120: The EP is titled ‘Between the Eyes.’ Derek had referenced that the record is “a story of resilience; to be someone new, to leave the past and reinvent.” Is there a meaning behind the title that you can talk about?
DEREK: ‘Between the Eyes’ is a saying Regan came up with awhile back and I took that saying and made it my own. I think it can mean a lot of different things. It’s a metaphor for suicide but it’s also a metaphor for what’s in your mind. The mind is a dark place and to truly overcome those thoughts you need to become someone new and leave the past in the past, forgive and reinvent yourself into someone you can be proud of.
LOGAN: I obviously can’t speak on Derek’s own personal struggles, but I know that he writes from his heart and the ideas we have on song topics are mutual, so I know the places where he’s coming from. Change and hardship are what we stand for as a band and that’s exactly what these songs are about: Changing into what you want to become, no matter the circumstance.
REGAN: As Derek said, I came up with the name. This EP’s songs are about life, death, change, war, etc. ‘Between The Eyes’ has many meanings; everybody is allowed to interpret it how they want. To me, it means there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. I hope people can find comfort in Derek’s lyrics, and be motivated by them. You’re not alone.
1120: Along that same line — and with song titles on the EP such as ‘Sell Your Time, Sell Your Life’ – can you touch on the subject matter the band is exploring on the record?
DEREK: There’s a lot of different subject matter that we touch on in this record. My thing to write about is mental health and struggles that I deal with and that others might as well. ‘Complicit’ is a song where we talk about the long-lasting battle against war and genocide, oppressors around the world — especially what’s happening in Palestine right now. This song specifically is very important as I feel like this message should be shared time and time again. ‘Panic Response’ is a song where I share my struggles with my anxiety and panic attacks that I have. It eats away at me, but it doesn’t stop me from thriving as a musician and human and I wanted to write something that shares what I deal with every day. Existentialism is a thing I often explore, and I continue to explore it in this EP. A lot of lyrics touch on this. I wanted this record to have duality — show the bad and how you can overcome that bad, to thrive and proceed to the goal, to never give up, to stay alive. That’s ‘Between the Eyes’ and I hope people listening to it grasp some of what I was trying to write.
LOGAN: ‘Sell Your Time, Sell Your Life’ was a phrase my senior year history and economics teacher said during one of his lectures. Although he was talking about the phrase in a more job-and-working sense, it got me thinking and realized it’s just a simple metaphor for wasting your life away because you can’t get time back, therefore it works in several contexts. This EP… focuses on the mental struggles of being human. Existentialism, absurdism, and nihilism are all themes explored by Derek through his lyrics and my ideas as well.
REGAN: We really just want to set an example and spread a message. Derek explains it best. The record is about mental struggles. ‘Complicit’ came about when Logan and I were in our high school jazz band thinking about possible song ideas. He brought up Aaron Bushnell and how he set himself on fire, killing himself in protest against the genocide in Palestine. I immediately knew we had to touch on this topic, as we are a very outspoken band. We needed to spread the message. We sampled the recording of Bushnell killing himself. And yes, it’s graphic, but you can’t censor these types of things. You can’t hide these disgusting genocides from the world, and what it is causing people to do. The song that comes next is ‘Your Fault.’ I love this song. I love how it can correlate with so many different situations. We’ve all had a ‘Your Fault’ person, and that’s why I think this track will be the most successful.
1120: You guys worked with Nick Borgosz at Sound Authentic on the new EP. What was that experience like working with him in the studio, and how do you think his expertise benefitted the band?
LOGAN: It was different from what we were used to but in the end, Nick was ultimately the push we needed to really record the EP to our fullest potential. Nick also has a ton of knowledge of hardcore and adjacent sub-genres so working with him on the mix and the guitars specifically was great. I’m excited to work with him again in the future and I see why Spaced, Jeweltone, and Dishonored also decided to work with Nick.
REGAN: Working with Nick was the best move. He really helped us bring this record to life. Like Logan said, his experience with similar bands really gave us that push we needed.
1120: As both a new band and a young band just hitting the scene last year, you guys were widely embraced. The past year has had to be a whirlwind for you. What’s the experience been like for you so far, and what do you think the band has learned that you see helping as you continue?
DEREK: This past year has been nothing but insanely incredible. We have had so many great shows that we had played this past year. I always say it and post it on my social media that I am so unbelievably thankful and grateful for every beautiful opportunity that has come my way. I never had thought I’d get here and even have recorded songs out. Some of my favorite shows I played this year was the Dishonored release show, Surfaced gig at Timeless Babez, Spaced release show, and the Rochester show we played with Deep Disdain. We have learned a lot too. I learned to stay true to what the band stands for and what we do. We are working so well as a group. Regan and Logan are like my brother and sister. Together, continue to network and get to know as many people as possible. That’s how I feel we keep this sense of community going. We have collaborated with so many amazing bands on shows. Worked with amazing artists and photographers for merch and pictures. The scene needs to be united because it is small. My goal as a frontman is to unite the scene across the board. I feel that’s so important and that is what I learned and continue to strive for: scene unity!
LOGAN: It’s amazing how quickly we grew to the size we are now and how everyone has embraced us by befriending us, booking us, and helping us overall. I personally have realized that the kids in our scene are the lifeblood of everything. They will go to anything and everything, mosh, buy merch, and hang out. No matter the band, the genre, the music that’s being played, or even the venue… these kids will make it there and have a great time no matter what.
REGAN: I am forever grateful for everybody who has helped us to get where we are now. Seeing regulars and new people at our shows moshing and having fun is the best part for me. I love that people find joy in something me and my best buddies make together. It’s love all around for, and from, our supporters. Thank you to everybody who supports us and comes to our shows. And of course, thank you to my brothers, Logan and Derek. Nothing would be possible without them. Thank you to Spaced, Selfish Act, Wasted Space, Dishonored, Deep Disdain, my mom, G.A.G.S, Nu Static Radio, Jeweltone, Timeless Babez, and anybody else we have played shows with, or have helped us in any way on this journey. There are too many to name. You’re all greatly appreciated.
1120: So, with the release of this EP at the very start of the new year, you hit the ground running in 2025. Do you have any specific goals for where you want to take Monomaniac in the new year? What else is on the band’s agenda?
LOGAN: Our release show at Amvets Post 13 on Jan. 17 is going to be one hell of a start to the year for us and all the other bands involved. We’re extremely excited to share this music with everyone and finally play it live with people knowing the words and the riffs! On top of that, we hope to get out of Buffalo a lot more and start playing out of town consistently. After the release show we’ll put all of our focus on writing more music for an album and get straight back to recording as soon as possible.
REGAN: Again, like Logan said, we’ve already started writing an album, and that is our next objective. As soon as I graduate, we want to start doing runs and getting out of Buffalo more.
1120: Thank you again for speaking with us. Is there anything else you want to add, either about the new EP or anything else, that we haven’t touched on?
DEREK: If you don’t know about Monomaniac yet, you will now. ‘Between the Eyes’ is our first EP with a lot of subject matter. Make everything your own while listening to it. These are everyone’s songs now. Welcome to ‘Between the Eyes.’ Remember the name. Thank you.
LOGAN: January 17 at Amvets Post 13. Swing or get swung. Mosh hard. Mono your maniac and always remember the fucking name.
REGAN: REMEMBER. THE. NAME. January 17, Amvets Post 13, be there. And again, thank you to everybody. We love and appreciate you all.
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