New York-based Fish Hunt, the project led by Lucy Mondello, takes a sharp turn inward and outward on “Monkey See Monkey Do,” a restless new single from the forthcoming album Life, due October 23 via VHS Records. Rather than approaching its subject with polished distance, the track feels immediate and unfiltered, capturing the kind of frustration that builds when watching the world repeat the same destructive patterns.
Built around fingerpicked guitar, a first for Mondello; the song has an unexpectedly intimate foundation. The stripped-back playing gives her words room to breathe while creating a contrast with the increasingly exasperated emotions underneath. There is something almost conversational about the way “Monkey See Monkey Do” unfolds, as though Mondello is processing her thoughts in real time rather than delivering a carefully packaged statement.
That stream-of-consciousness quality becomes one of the song’s strongest characteristics. The repeated idea of “monkey see, monkey do” transforms into a larger reflection on imitation, complacency, and the consequences of watching harmful behavior become normalized. Instead of simply venting, Fish Hunt turns that frustration into a song that feels deliberately uncomfortable and observant.
Tex Patrello’s piano adds another layer to the arrangement, complementing the guitar without overwhelming the track’s raw character. The instrumentation gives “Monkey See Monkey Do” enough movement to keep it engaging while preserving the sense that this song began with a thought that simply needed to get out.
There is also a live energy hiding beneath the more intimate songwriting. Despite its reflective foundation, the track carries the kind of immediacy that makes sense as a live favorite. Fish Hunt clearly isn’t interested in making the song’s message overly neat or comfortable. Instead, “Monkey See Monkey Do” embraces frustration, confusion, and disbelief and turns those feelings into something listeners can shout back.
★ FISH HUNT LIVE 2026 ★
SEPTEMBER
26 – New York, NY – Union Pool $
OCTOBER
5 – Los Angeles, CA – Braindead Studios #
30 – New York, NY – VHS Studios %
NOVEMBER
13 – New York, NY – VHS Studios @
$ – w/ Alexalone, Proun, Laveda
# – w/ Melaina Kol, Chatterton, Tex Patrello
% – w/ A Mourning in Heaven
@ – w/ Weatherday
CONNECT WITH FISH HUNT:
INSTAGRAM | YOUTUBE | BANDCAMP
CONNECT WITH VHS RECORDS:
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