After announcing their new album Pilgrimage of the Soul in July and sharing their first single, “Riptide,” Japanese post-rock group MONO now drooped their second song off their new record, “Innocence.” But the new track is not the only thing fans can get excited about. The group has also announced its upcoming spring 2022 tour.

The tour will kick off on April 1st, in Minneapolis, MN, at TURF Club and will include over 20 stops all around North America. The tour will then conclude on April 28th, in Denver, Co, at the Bluebird Theater.

MONO already knows how to captivate the attention of their audience. Their video to “Riptide” told a fascinating and impactful story while getting perfectly along with their song. So it doesn’t come as a surprise that the video for “Innocence” is just equally as sophisticated and creative.

With a run time of eight minutes, the video follows the story of a little girl. The video starts with a shot of two twin beds standing next to each other, one being empty and looking unused while the other looks like it’s been used. The girl is walking around at home, seeing her parents in a very emotional state. At this point, it’s clear something isn’t right in the little girl’s house. A short sequence that shows a family picture only lets people guess why the parents were crying and comforting each other. Once the girl goes on her journey outside, which might also just be in her imagination, the audience knows the girl is grieving the loss of her older brother. What follows are lovely shots of the nature around her as she spends quality time with her brother. Closer to the end of the video, the girl is back home, visibly grieving her brother.

The purely instrumental song fits so well with the video. It has a particular element of innocence throughout, but right in the middle of the song, the innocence is seemingly lost, and more complex guitar sounds occupy the soundscape. It is truly fascinating how a piece of strictly instrumental music can change one’s emotional state so much.

Pilgrimage of the Soul Tour Dates: 

Apr 1 – Minneapolis, MN – TURF Club
Apr 2 – Chicago, IL – Lincoln Hall
Apr 3 – Detroit, MI – Loving Touch
Apr 5 – Toronto, ON – Velvet
Apr 6 – Montréal, QC – Fairmount Theatre
Apr 7 – Portsmouth, NH – 3s
Apr 8 – Hamden, CT – Space Ballroom
Apr 9 – New York City, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg
Apr 10 – Philadelphia, PA – Underground Arts
Apr 12 – Durham, NC – Motorco Music Hall
Apr 13 – Atlanta, GA – The Earl
Apr 15 – Fort Worth, TX – Tulips
Apr 16 – Austin, TX – Parish
Apr 18 – Phoenix, AZ – Rebel Lounge
Apr 19 – Los Angeles, CA – Lodge Room
Apr 20 – San Francisco, CA – Great American Music Hall
Apr 22 – Portland, OR – Alberta Abbey
Apr 23 – Vancouver, BC – The Biltmore
Apr 24 – Seattle, WA – Neumo’s
Apr 26 – Boise, ID – Neurolux
Apr 27 – Salt Lake City, UT – Urban Lounge
Apr 28 – Denver, CO – Bluebird Theater