FFO: Wingz Of The Monkey – Jägermeister Love and Cigarette Kisses

Teesside rock ‘n’ rollers Wingz Of The Monkey follow up their debut EP Ape Allegations with their brand new and equally effervescent new five-track offering, Jagermeister Love and Cigarette Kisses, which features three singles released in 2024 as well as two new tracks.

The EP is packed with raw, rallying riffs, punchy, pounding beats and sharp, staccato vocals and combines early punk/proto-punk, 90s grunge and stadium rock with unbound, youthful, vigour to produce a potent sound that rouses and revitalises the world-weary to once again rage against the system.

Ahead of its release on 1st November, the band pick three tracks to help summarise the EP…

Cherub Rock  – The Smashing Pumpkins
We aren’t a throwback to the 90s, as we feel that we have created our own unique sound, however, our inspiration does fall heavily into the Grunge Scene, a time characterised by its raw sound, attitude, and a way of life that resonates with a new generation looking for authenticity and self-expression. This track is no different, at the height of their fame in 1993, the Smashing Pumpkins released their album Siamese Dream. The first track, Cherub Rock, set the tone for the rest of the album. The band used a biblical story related to the fall of the cherubim, who guarded the gate to the Garden of Eden. The Band used this metaphor to express their frustration with the music industry and the commercialisation of alternative rock. Cherub Rock became an anthem for anyone who felt disillusioned with the mainstream and yearned for something more authentic, that’s where we Wingz of the Monkey have taken the reins and you can hear echoes of this in our EP, grunt, scuzz and fuzz and all the good stuff. Our Bass player Logan is all over the driving bottom end of this track and he keeps it tight on the EP too, Stood Up exemplifies this.

It Ain’t Like That – Alice In Chains
We are big on Alice In Chains, their unique sound has had us hooked since we started out as a band whilst still at school back in 2022. It Ain’t Like That remains a powerful testament to a band’s ability to capture raw emotions and personal experiences through their music. Its timeless message about addiction and the human struggle continues to resonate with listeners. This is something we have tried to capture in our lyrics by dealing with real-life situations and experiences. Our Guitarist JEEP is very much seeking that Jerry Cantrell tone and presence to push the rhythm and aggressiveness of a riff and hold it throughout the song, check out the Accuser on the EP, that fuzzy wah-wah riff is Cantrell-inspired. We have also covered the Alice in Chains track Man in the Box in our live shows and believe to have done it the justice it deserves.      

I’m So Tired – Fugazi
I’m So Tired by Fugazi is a unique track from their 1999 album Instrument Soundtrack. Unlike their typical post-hardcore style, this song is a piano ballad performed by Ian MacKaye The lyrics are deeply emotional, touching on themes of depression and exhaustion, which many listeners find relatable. Why this track? Well, we have covered I’m So Tired and now you can hear our version on the EP. We have put our own spin on things and the melancholy piano has been replaced by melodic guitar ascending into a highly charged upbeat attempt of this Fugazi classic, with all the attributes of a Wingz of the Monkey track. This was pretty much a first take in the studio too, we were so tight as a band and this track lifted the whole session. The track just feels like an anthem, and we just had to release it. We were blown away by Pat’s vocals and his backing vocals and the track had drummer Ed’s girlfriend in tears when she first heard it.