EXCLUSIVE Q&A INTERVIEW: almost monday Talks About What They are Most Excited for Their Tour and MORE
Photo of almost monday. Photo Credit: Cole Ferguson.
Emerging from garage jams and D.I.Y. gigs, almost monday —Dawson Daugherty (vocals), Cole Clisby (guitar), and Luke Fabry (bass)—burst onto the scene in 2020 with a sound that embodies the sun-soaked essence of California.
With over 600 million streams under their belt, almost monday's feel-good vibes continued to resonate globally as they dove into 2024 with new releases like "is it too late?" (world premiered with Australia’s Triple J) and "can’t slow down," a U.S. tour with Beach Weather, a summer arena tour alongside AJR and mxmtoon, dates in Mexico plus a six-week European tour with The Driver Era, and their debut album, DIVE.
Kicking off 2025, almost monday scored their first #1 on the Alternative Radio Chart with the unstoppable “can’t slow down” and released their deluxe edition of their acclaimed debut album, DIVE. The band continues to build momentum with their globe-spanning DIVE headline tour, which kicked off January 24th with back-to-back sold-out shows in St. Louis and Denver. They did a Q&A interview with Global Pop Trendsetters about their most recent song, touring, and other topics!
Read our Q&A below!
Global Pop Trendsetters: How did you guys come together to form almost monday?
Luke: Dawson and I were long-time friends when Dawson met Cole surfing through a mutual friend. We collectively wanted to play music live, so we gave it a shot by throwing our own shows in the back of a surf shop. Kept going from there.
GPT: What inspired you to write the song “can’t slow down?”
Dawson: I think we just really wanted to make a ‘going out with your friends late at night’ dance song. The song is really about keeping up on a blurry night.
GPT: Where did you film the music video?
Cole: The music video was shot in LA up in the hills just north of the valley.
GPT: What are you most excited about for this tour, and how do you hope it will impact your music and connection with fans?
Luke: It’s cool to see people show up for YOUR show. We’ve done a lot of opening slots and played some big rooms, but there’s something different about a sold-out club full of your own people singing along to your songs.
GPT: How do you plan your setlist for different-sized venues?
Cole: We did a support tour this year in arenas, and that was a fully different approach than clubs or theatres because the songs have to hit and impact people who are standing right in front of you in the pit and also way up in the nose bleeds. Sometimes, songs with slower tempos and big anthemic choruses can feel better in those bigger rooms, and the in-your-face rock songs can rip in a club. But there are also no rules. :)
GPT: Do you incorporate fan requests into your setlist sometimes?
Dawson: Not really. Sorry! Haha, we usually try and get the set really solid before we hit the road.
GPT: What's your favorite part about performing in different cities?
Luke: I love returning to some food and coffee spots that I know are in certain cities. In a weird way, you become a sort of regular who frequents every so often.
GPT: What music artists and bands do you admire?
Cole: We’re all listening to loads of different music every day but I think some bands who we look up to who continue to inspire us are MGMT, The Strokes, Phoenix, The Velvet Underground, The Kinks, The Beach Boys, to name a few…
GPT: How do you feel the Internet has impacted the music business?
Dawson: Haha, that’s a big question, not sure I have the right answer for. I will definitely say it’s made things really saturated, but luckily, I think people are still on the hunt for what is quality and authentic. I'm happy to see good music is still making its way through the noise. I’d love to think (maybe wishfully) that our music is contributing to solid music.
GPT: What's your favorite part about interacting with fans at meet-and-greets?
Luke: Meet and greets are cool because you see firsthand the impact of what the music means to people. It’s easy to become isolated in your own bubble, but when you interact with someone who a song has helped them in some way, it reminds you why you do what you do.
GPT: What's the most memorable experience you've had when touring?
Luke: For the amount of memories we have throughout years of touring, it’s daunting to pick one experience that tops them all. One that was pretty amazing that comes to mind, though, was when we got to go hang gliding off a cliff onto the beach in Rio.
GPT: Who would you most like to collaborate with?
Dawson: We just collaborated with Jordana, which was super sick! I think maybe Karen O from Yeah Yeah Yeahs would be super cool.
GPT: If you could open a show for any artist, who would it be?
Cole: I think we’d all be super nervous because there’s no way we could do them justice, but it would be amazing to open for Tame Impala.
GPT: What was your favorite live music performance?
Luke: We played our last show of the year in Portland, Oregon, last December. That show wasn’t special because of the big room, or sound system, or even the feeling of going out on stage but rather it was the accumulation of a long year of touring and, with tired eyes, looking at three other individuals strumming their guitars and beating their drums knowing every case loaded, red bull drunk, and memory made was with these three people. It felt good to know what we had accomplished and the work that led us to this dark dive bar in Portland. There is something special about the comradery of a band and the tension that it creates, but also the victories you share with friends.
GPT: What is your dream venue to perform at?
Dawson: For me, it's red rocks right now! That venue looks gorgeous.
Cole: The Hollywood Bowl.
HIGHLIGHTS:
4 CHARTING ALTERNATIVE RADIO SONGS – “can’t slow down” hit #1 @ ALT RADIO
DEBUT ALBUM DIVE OUT NOW Listen on Apple Music and Spotify
DIVE DELUXE ALBUM OUT NOW Listen on Apple Music and Spotify
2025 US & EUROPE HEADLINE TOURS WITH MULTIPLE SOLD-OUT DATES
600 MILLION OVERALL COMBINED STREAMS
PLAYED OVER 20 MAJOR FESTIVALS, INCLUDING LOLLAPALOOZA, LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL, & GOVERNOR’S BALL
2025 FESTIVALS INCLUDE: LOLLAPALOOZA PARIS & BERLIN, MAD COOL FESTIVAL, PINKPOP FESTIVAL
Photo of almost monday. Photo Credit: Cole Ferguson.