Monster Rally

Ohio-bred crate-digger Ted Feighan, better known as Monster Rally, produces sample-based tracks drawing from lounge and tropicalia as well as hip-hop, bringing to mind the Avalanches, People Like Us, or Madlib on an exotica bender. His releases are typically adorned with collage artwork as colorful and surrealist as the music. He issued his debut LP, Coral, in 2011, and continued releasing intriguing records at a prolific pace, including 2013's Return to Paradise and 2015's Foreign Pedestrians, with rapper Jay Stone. His music edged closer to instrumental hip-hop with releases like 2017's Flowering Jungle and 2022's Botanica Dream. With 2026's Echoes of the Emerald Sands, Feighan completely changed his creative process, recording all of the instruments from scratch and inviting a cast of guest vocalists. Monster Rally debuted in 2010 with several self-released EPs. He then signed with Gold Robot Records, which released two LPs (Coral and Crystal Ball) and an EP (Deep Sea) in 2011. Beyond the Sea and two EPs with Rum Tum (one issued by Waaga Records) followed in 2012. Return to Paradise appeared in 2013, and was followed by Foreign Pedestrians, Monster Rally's collaboration with MC Jay Stone, in 2015. As Crystal Ball was reissued in 2015, Feighan reworked some of the tracks for an EP titled Psychic. The 7" single "Moonlight Ballroom" also appeared that year. The full-length Mystery Cove arrived in 2016, followed by 2017's Flowering Jungle. Adventures on the Floating Island appeared in 2019. 2020's Castaways, Vol. 1 compiled four earlier EPs as well as bonus tracks. The next proper Monster Rally album, Botanica Dream, arrived in 2022. The EP Flower Shower was released in 2023, as well as the vinyl-only Castaways, Vol. 2, another compilation of EPs. Following the loose singles "Prickly Pears" (2024) and "Ring Tail" (2025), Monster Rally began releasing songs featuring guest vocalists, including TOLEDO, Mei Semones, and TV Girl. These led up to Echoes of the Emerald Sands (2026), the tenth Monster Rally full-length and the first to contain full vocals, as well as the first to be created without samples. Other guests on the album include Jordana, Miles Michaud (Allah-Las), and X-Cetra. ~ Paul Simpson, Rovi