Anyone who’s fallen hopelessly in love can relate to “Mona,” Winkler’s sweetly-crooning new release.
Who is Mona? The members of Winkler don’t think that’s important. They’re a group of five: Justin Schaefers on guitar and vocals, Christian Schmidt on the drums, Ava Connaughton on the bass, Maddy Simpson on vocals, and Alex Massey on guitar. The band’s name comes from their eponymous 2019 release, Winkler, a reference to the American sitcom “Happy Days,” starring Henry Winkler as The Fonz.
Their new single “Mona” is bouncy and light. Real drums accompany toy keyboard rhythms, plucky electric guitar, and honeyed vocals. It exudes a sunny warmth reminiscent of surf-rock. Lines like “Mona / why’d you have to make me / so damn crazy,” tell the story of being utterly hypnotized by someone. Lyrically, the song describes intense infatuation, but the track is sonically breezy and lighthearted. The narrative is whimsical and tongue-in-cheek, a mood mirrored by the playful dynamic between the bandmates of Winkler. It’s clear that they get along, exchanging jokes and erupting into spontaneous bouts of laughter.
Asked to describe the elusive character and namesake of their new track, they offered descriptors like “stunning,” “weak at the knees,” and “enigma.” Someone quipped that Mona is “so beautiful that you can’t perceive her.” “I think it’s almost better that we don’t try, so that the listener can put any face that they like in the song,” replied Schaefers, who came up with “Mona” at the start of the pandemic. Experimenting in his room, he treated the creation process as “a fun practice in writing songs.” He set the tune to toy keyboard drums and sent the demo to Schmidt, who loved it. From there, the process was organic as the band worked on the song during rehearsals. That’s how most of their songs are developed—one person introduces an idea to the group, and in time, it blooms into a fleshed-out piece.
“We all come from pretty different backgrounds,” said Connaughton. They coalesce a number of overlapping influences, spanning the genres of rock, folk, jazz, and doo-wop. The impact of Harry Nilsson and Massachusetts band The Modern Lovers are evident in the textured soundscape of “Mona.” At a laid-back tempo, the song feels pleasantly lethargic, each line flowing naturally into the next. Halfway through, a twinkling guitar solo leads into the harmony-laden refrain. The phrase, “I think I love you and I don’t know why,” repeats to a steady pounding drumbeat that builds to a crescendo. The refrain continues for the rest of the song, layered underneath the instrumental soundscape.
The group fondly recalls various iterations of “Mona” and appreciates the flexibility that the song allows for improvisation during live performance. Onstage, the band treats it as a serendipitous moment to settle into a relaxed tempo and check-in with each other. “Mona” is an extension of Winkler’s essence, like an extra limb that has grown with the group.
The release show for the track will take place on March 26 at The Tourist Trap in Allston.