Recorded at Pieater’s BellBird studio in Melbourne, the album came together over a three-year period, mostly in Melbourne, but pieces sketched all over. It was entirely written, recorded, produced and mixed by Tom Snowdon and Tom Iansek.
No Mono and the pair’s debut record, "Islands part 1", is the culmination of years of songwriting and performances and draws broad influence, including from Snowdon's upbringing in the remote desert town of Alice Springs and his relationship to central Australia. It also oozes Tom Iansek's boundary-pushing production.
Like the band's name, which is derived from the Japanese expression 'Mono No Aware', No Mono's music explores/inspired by the emotional and otherwordly. "Islands part 1" is a record about transition through crisis and sanctuary. The band goes deeper, "The songs are all about the turbulence of loss and change and the transformative power that accompanies these moments. They tell our personal stories and reflect our shared fascination in the power of the unseen, and in the enjoyment of making music and songs together; ultimately, the thread that inspired this project.”