Shadow Monster

Shadow Monster is frontwoman and guitarist Gillian Visco’s alter ego and title of her dejected grunge pop project with longtime drummer and collaborator John Swanson. Visco screams and sighs into the abyss of grief in hopes of transforming that pain into bliss through catchy choruses and heartbreakingly relatable lyrics about the immense weight of being human on planet earth. In live shows, Nikki Sisti (THICK) and Denim Casimir (TVOD) round out the trio with booming, fuzzy basslines adding to the vibrant wall of sound best enjoyed with your local dive bar’s beer and shot combo. The upcoming Substitute Scene Records release, DOG, (mixed and mastered by Omer Leibovitz) lifts the band's sadcore grungy sound into new territory with memorable refrains and recurring counter melodies pulling influence from doo-wop, early punk, grunge and emo eras. The songs flirt with delusion, they hope, and pine, and go out late at night hunting for that thing they have been missing. DOG sits comfortably in its solitude, grappling with themes of death and grief whilst keeping a firm grasp on a dim torch of hope. Similar to its predecessor, Punching Bag (2019, Dadstache Records) - DOG is full of metaphor, imagery, and brutal honesty, especially in songs like "Goodwill" where Visco sifts through the death of her father.