Margarita Mantis is a multi-dimensional musician and audio engineer with a ground-breaking production style. Regular readers will remember her from previous releases like her 2023 ‘Ocean Of Life’ EP and last year’s anti-war ballad “Though The Poppies Grow“. Those songs introduced the talented producer’s unique ‘binaural rock’ sound.
She is a self-described rock artist from Southern California who made her solo professional recording debut in 2022. Ever since, Margarita Mantis has been perfecting ‘Binaural Rock’. She describes it as a genre that blends melodic rock and punk with new sound technologies like binaural panning, an audio mixing technique which creates a spatial three dimensional illusion.
Jejune is the new album from Margarita Mantis, available worldwide via most major streaming services. The fifteen-song set is a culmination of over two years of work, first inventing and then refining a new genre. The record is a showcase of Mantis’ skills as a producer, composer, and multi-instrumentalist performer.
The record opens with the instrumental “Horde”, immediately immersing the listener into its three dimensional vibe. As a songwriter and producer, Margarita Mantis mixes gothic poetry and heavy metal imagery with modern social commentary. She sets the scene with dark-pop laments (“Us to Nowhere”, “I Don’t Dream”), guitar-fueled rock (“I Could Love You”, “The Pentacle”), and prog-rock psychedelia (“Wary Sense”, “Blind Eye”).
“In Flanders Fields” begins a series of war-themed tracks built around the aforementioned art-rock tribute to the fallen “Though The Poppies Grow”. Here Margarita Mantis creates a cinematic tapestry of guitars, strings, and percussion. She pairs that soundscape with an epic and tragic narrative.
The analog synth of “Feeling Blue” adds a cool New Wave feel to the record. Mantis then closes the set with a trio of introspective downtempo singer-songwriter tunes. The final and title track examines the many contradictions of human nature.
Check out Jejune in its entirety below. You can also listen on your favorite streaming service. Follow the links below to connect with Margarita Mantis.