From lockdown to locked in.
From the lockdown livestreams of 2020 to the blistering heat of the Tamworth Country Music Festival in 2026, Sydney’s Monico has steadily built a compelling musical journey.
What began as the solo project of singer-songwriter Isaac Monico Atienzo has evolved into a potent trio, united by inner-west Sydney roots and a love for anthemic, socially-conscious folk-rock.
With the recent release of their aggressive new single ‘N.P.C’, Monico, now joined by cousin Lachlan Dawson on drums and friend Ben Garrigo on bass, takes aim at the divisive rhetoric of the online “manosphere.”
As they trade sweaty days busking on Peel Street for nights under the stars, the band chats about protest music, pandemic-born purpose, and their ambitious plans for 2026.
This is the sound of a group finding its voice, its force, and a powerful dose of clarity in the chaos of the modern world.
Happy: What’d you get up to today?
Monico: Today we have arrived at the 2026 Tamworth Country Music Festival and secured a great camping spot by the river. We will be sleeping rough for the next 10 days as we perform at several shows and busking spots on famous Peel St.
Our new single ‘NPC’ has also been released into the world and what better way to promote it than to belt it from stage and on the streets of Tamworth.
Happy: Tell us a little about where you’re from, and what you love about it!
Monico: The three of us (Me, Lachlan and Ben) were fortunate enough to grow up within 10 minutes of each other in Earlwood of Sydney’s Inner West.
Within spitting distance of the cultural hub of Newtown and the CBD, there definitely feels like the Inner West has a bit of a buzz to it.
We love it for how multicultural it is as well as some pretty iconic live music venues for local and international acts. Factory Theatre, Vic On The Park, Gasoline Pony and Lazy Bones to name a few.
Happy: Monico, you started releasing music during the COVID lockdowns. How did that unique time shape you as a songwriter and performer?
Monico: Even though everyone experienced COVID communally, we all had an individual experience through lockdown.
I’d had aspirations of doing music full time before however felt great inner resistance and pressure to continue down a traditional lifepath.
The lockdowns showed me how fluid our societal constructs actually were; that this can all fall apart any second so why not go for it?
I began streaming live music performances on Twitch and garnered the attention from several local agencies which provided me with consistent live music opportunities from the outset of the lockdowns.
While I released an EP in 2022 called ‘Backburn’, I didn’t feel like I had arrived at an organic place as a songwriter until I began to collaborate and jam with Lachlan and Ben.
Happy: Your sound is reminiscent of artists like Hozier and Dire Straits. Who would you say are your foundational influences, both as a solo writer and now with the trio?
Monico: There wasn’t much music in my household growing up and in a way I arrived a little later to music.
Finding my own way to artists like Phil Collins and Billy Joel in my early teens was deeply moving; however it was a YouTube video of Ed Sheeran playing ‘The A-Team’ on a small gondola that inspired me to pick up the guitar.
I loved the idea of being able to hold music in your hands and take it wherever you go.
The intimate solo singer/songwriters like Ed Sheeran and John Mayer heavily inspired my early years in music. Now it is the bigger anthemic sounds of Hozier, Kaleo and recently Yungblud’s ‘IDOLS’ that create spectacle in their concerts that intrigue me.
Happy: ‘N.P.C.’ is an “anthemic folk/rock tune written in the style of protest songs.” What are you protesting, and who are the modern-day targets of that protest?
Monico: N.P.C directly targets the emerging far right, misogynistic sentiment that is spearheaded by influencers of the ‘Manosphere’ cultural movement.
Of the thousands of grifters that profit off promoting division, the song directly references ‘Andrew Tate and Joe Rogan’ as being the most visible.
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Happy: Why is now the right time to release a song with this message?
Monico: While N.P.C firstly references online ‘manosphere’ culture, it’s also intended to be applicable in different contexts. We live through an increasingly volatile time.
From the individual to the geopolitical. Where major powers subjugate middle powers and pillage emerging ones like they are merely background characters in their narrative.
What’s wild is that in both levels and contexts, this attitude is both rampant and often rewarded.
Happy: Is ‘N.P.C.’ a standalone single, or does it signal the direction for a larger project, like an EP or album?
Monico: N.P.C is a standalone single for now. However, I definitely don’t want to be afraid of making music that has dimensions of social commentary or consciousness.
Happy: You’ve been cutting your teeth with open mics and festivals like Tamworth. How has the trio’s sound evolved from those first live shows?
Monico: That’s a great question! Our current original songs are ones that I’d written as a solo act in years past with no collaboration. Newer songs with the trio, I feel, have more depth and sincerity to them.
Yes, original music is the ultimate goal yet I believe there is a tremendous value in learning and performing a wide range of covers as live musicians.
From a performance standpoint, Ben remarks how the band’s chemistry feels more organic while Lachlan (nicknamed ‘Locked in, Lachlan’) feels more relaxed on stage.
This is all from constantly learning and performing very often. Covers have greatly informed us on what direction we want to go down as a trio; Pop rock with soul and blues elements.
Happy: Beyond the single release, what are the trio’s main goals for 2026?
Monico: In a scrum during a quiet moment at the Tamworth Festival, we communally agreed that our main ‘non-negotiable’ goal for 2026 is a consistent release schedule.
This is something that I had not prioritised as a solo act in the past but I feel confident with going forward.
Secondly, introducing more collaboration in the project (this includes other artists). Ben and I had room for spontaneous songwriting sessions around the camp as well as jams with buskers on Peel St.
What you often find is that you approach the songwriting process from a completely different angle.
Finally, we want to try our hand at expanding outside of NSW for shows. We have found success in Cronulla, Inner West, Northern Beaches and Bondi but there is a massive frontier out there that we would love to explore.
Fingers crossed for Big Sound too.
Happy: Lastly, what makes you happy?
Monico: I could go on about community, songwriting and performing with my best mates for a living but honestly, after 11 days in this Tamworth sun (often around 35-40C)… Air conditioning makes me happy. Someone get me a Powerade asap.
