The timeless-feeling track—the second single from the Hudson Valley-based band—is “a classic toxic love song turned into an upbeat, danceable pop ballad”
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If there’s anyone who appreciates coffee, it’s New Yorkers.
We bow down to the bean. Java is our Jesus. Our unofficial slogan is basically just brew it and we would probably inject espresso directly into our veins if Starbucks offered complimentary syringes.
A city that never sleeps requires a lot of caffeine, after all. So if there’s one solid metaphor for dependence—maybe even addiction—that hits, well, it’s a comparison to the ol’ café.
With that, I give you what, as a Brooklyn audience, is set to be a very relatable song. Introducing “Morning Coffee,” the new single from Hudson Valley-based band monarch., which I could not be more thrilled to premiere here!
I’ll be your morning coffee / I’ll be your nighttime tea/ I just want you to be happy, babe / But only if you are with me
Of course, “Morning Coffee” isn’t actually about coffee. As mentioned above, it’s symbolic, baby, and as in the case of all of my favorite songs, this one is about a different type of craving—a deep fixation not on something, but someone, and a specific type of addiction that not just New Yorkers but hopeless romantics across the world just can’t seem to shake.
“We wrote the lyrics for ‘Morning Coffee’ during a comedic phone conversation about needing that daily caffeine fix in the early morning before a long day,” the band told me of the song over email. “We then began to compare the addiction of caffeine to relationships, and the toxic addiction relying on anyone or anything can bring. In this type of unhealthy codependent environment, you want to be someone’s everything and you want them to only want you, even when it comes to their overall happiness.”
The first single off the band’s forthcoming EP Sweet Little Things, “Morning Coffee” follows “Faces In Crowded Places” as monarch.’s second single since the group formed in 2021, and just like their debut, this one serves as the perfect vehicle for Sarah Hartstein’s absolutely perfect voice. The band describes the song as “a classic toxic love song turned into an upbeat, danceable pop ballad,” and with its jazzy accents, relatable themes and lyrics that on the surface seem sweet (“I just want you to be happy, babe”) but also a bit menacing (“But only if you are with me”), the song does has a real timeless feeling about it. You can just as easily imagine it being sung on stage in a lounge like a century ago—with Sarah wearing a sparkly gown as a trio of coiffed and costumed backup singers do carefully choreographed movements behind her—as you can imagine the song being performed at, say, Piano’s tonight.
Now here’s the good news: While I do not have a time machine, you at least won’t have to imagine the latter for long (!) because the band is celebrating their single release at that very venue (Piano’s) with Jay Rosie and Fool Saint TONIGHT, and based on the sweet, sweet sounds of both of their released tracks, you just know it’s gonna be a good one.
Go forth, grab a ticket and then, hey, go get yourself a coffee. The first step is admitting you have a problem, after all, and as we all know, there are far worse ones to have.
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Follow Monarch at @monarchtheband.ny and add their songs to your Spotify playlists!
Feature image provided by the band.