Powers of the Monk is a music duo based in Detroit, Michigan. It consists of David. S Monk who plays the guitar and CasSondra Powers who plays the violin. Both of them lend their vocals and write the music while producer Dani Macchi crafts the bass, guitar and keys. Their debut album in 2006 experimented with electronic music and after a hiatus they came back in 2020 with a sound leaning much more towards indie pop and folk. Their fourth single “Puffy Head” is both lyrically and sonically innovative!

The track starts off with harmonising vocals repeating the words “puffy head” in a meditative and hypnotising manner. The guitar in the background during this makes the track feel like the beginning of a journey. I really enjoyed the instrumentation on the track and thought that the tangy guitar tones and the light yet alive percussion come together coherently. The production is sing-songy and soothing and catchy, making the song flow like a rhyme.

The vocal performance is high-pitched and layered throughout most of the track. It has a sense of roughness and adolescence to it that makes one wonder whether it is supposed to be the voice of a child since the lyricism is from the perspective of one. The bridge is the only time where the vocalists break character.

The lyrical themes are mystical, with half of the rooted in earth and a lot of it half of it turning towards outer space. One wonders whether puffy head is puffy because of the many dreams in their head. There is a lot of emphasis on the future and wanting to become an astronaut, but children don’t know what it entails to such an extent that they are able to call it “Rocketman” and live with it. I thought that songwriting was endearing and the overall production was very well done. Check out “Puffy Head” by Powers of the Monk here: