THE MON Interview
With Songs Of Abandon, the first chapter of his two-part Embrace The Abandon series, Urlo (Ufomammut, Malleus, Supernatural Cat) unveils one of the most personal and emotionally exposed works of his career as THE MON. Written in a period of solitude and created through a raw, minimalist process—one song a day for nine consecutive days-the album captures a fragile atmosphere of introspection, vulnerability, and transformation. In this interview, we dive into the creative journey behind Songs Of Abandon, its intimate themes, and what lies ahead for the second installment coming in 2026.
1. This album began with a radical exercise / writing one song per day for nine days using only acoustic guitar and voice. What pushed you into that experiment, and what did those first raw sketches feel like emotionally?
Urlo: It was a strange period, just after the second lockdown, and I was alone with myself. I decided I wanted to dig inside and see what could come out. I picked up my guitar and simply started playing whatever my hands wanted to do. Then I told myself I needed to heal my soul by writing nine songs, one a day. So I started. Some of them came out easily, others needed a lot more work. The most challenging was definitely “Little Bird”… it took a while before it revealed itself completely.
2. You’ve described Songs Of Abandon as one of your most intimate and vulnerable works. What personal experiences or moments of solitude shaped the atmosphere of this record?
Urlo: I was in a moment of transition (it’s been a difficult time for everyone) and I found myself alone, face to face with my own “ugly” self. I wanted to capture that exact moment of my life. I needed something to fight it, to be able to be reborn stronger.
3. THE MON is a very different creative outlet compared to the heaviness of Ufomammut. What does this project allow you to express musically or emotionally that you can’t explore with your other bands?
Urlo: With The Mon I can do whatever I want, without filters or anyone else’s “interference.” It’s just me. When I write for Ufomammut, it’s me and my bass. And then Poia and Levre. With The Mon, it’s different: it’s me and whatever instrument I feel drawn to in that specific moment: guitar, synth, bass, or just vocals.
4. Despite the minimalistic approach, the album features subtle layers and textures. How did you decide what elements to add while keeping the fragile and raw nature of the songs intact?
Urlo:At first I mixed the album in a much more expanded way, lots of delays, reverbs, and wider atmospheres.
But once I finished, I realized something felt wrong.
It didn’t reflect the intimate, fragile atmosphere I wanted.
So I started again, drying everything out and working mainly on guitars and vocals.
When I listened back, I liked it, but it still felt like something was missing.
I needed to recreate the eerie feeling I had while composing, so I added subtle noises, e-bow guitars, and a few synths.
I’m very happy with the final result, it sounds exactly the way it sounded in my mind.
5. The theme of “abandonment” runs through the album not just as a feeling, but as a path to self-discovery. What did working on this album teach you about yourself?
Urlo: I learned that if we dig deep enough, if we really search for the hidden parts of ourselves, we can finally see who we are and work on our soul to try to become better. This album gave me calm, but it’s also been a storm. I’m grateful I made it. It helped me understand, to see what was around me, and how lonely we can be in the middle of an ocean of people. But we need to be part of that ocean, to embrace the other waves, to become one.
6. This is the first half of a two-part series, with the second album coming in Spring 2026. How do the two releases connect? Should listeners expect a stylistic or emotional evolution in the next installment?
Urlo: When I finished mixing this album, I felt like something was missing. It’s a fragile record, a mirror of a specific part of me. I needed to explore the other parts as well, to dig even deeper, so I started working on the second chapter of the project. I built it like a suite: day after day I added a new section, just like I did with Songs of Abandon. It’s completely instrumental. It came out quickly, in a couple of weeks I had more than an hour of music and then I began carving and forging it into its final shape. And it will be a totally different album.
7. You’re also deeply involved in the visual world through Malleus Rock Art Lab. How important is the visual identity of Songs Of Abandon, and did the artwork influence the music or vice versa?
Urlo: I’m one of the three Malleus members, and artwork has always been fundamental for me. The image of my hands and the three nails represents what’s inside this album. It’s like an atonement, something I’m giving or something I’m receiving. That photo felt like the perfect representation of Songs of Abandon. The videos and animations I created with Malleus are also an essential part of expressing the album’s world.
8. Given the highly personal nature of this record, were there any moments where the process felt too difficult or too revealing? How did you push through those challenges?
Urlo: As I said, “Little Bird” was the most challenging song. I worked a lot on that arpeggio.
I wanted something “magical,” something not obvious, something that could surprise even me. It’s the summa of the album, its most representative track. And it’s also the hardest one to play live. When I play it, I feel naked, exposed.
9. What do you hope listeners feel or experience when they sit with this album? Is there a specific emotional space you want the audience to enter when listening to Songs Of Abandon?
Urlo: I hope people will truly connect with this album. It’s a record you need to listen to multiple times before entering it completely. I hope it brings emotions, that it makes listeners feel something hidden deep in their own souls.
More information:
https://www.urlothemon.com
https://themon.bandcamp.com
