Fans of the indie band Ducktails may soon notice recent albums are no longer available on popular streaming applications such as Apple Music, Tidal, and Spotify. This occurred after several women came forward with sexual assault allegations against solo member Matthew Mondanile this month.
According to Pitchfork, the Orchard, a music distribution company, took down the albums.
The musician, who formerly served as guitarist for the alternative band Real Estate, left the group in February 2016 in pursuit of his solo career and was replaced with a new band member. Now with multiple women coming forward recounting eerily similar stories about Mondanile’s actions, many are taking a second look into his leave from the New Jersey band.
In a statement released earlier this month to Pitchfork, the group now says it fired the guitarist due to his alleged mistreatment of women:
Matt Mondanile was fired in February 2016 when allegations of unacceptable treatment of women were brought to our attention. While we urged him to seek counseling at the time of termination, we are no longer in contact. We feel that any abuse of one’s power or status to victimize another is completely unacceptable. We applaud the courage of the women who came forward to make us aware so that we could address the issue head on.
Most accusations point to a pattern. Women are talking to Mondanile post-concert, when he asks where the bathroom is and then forces himself on the unsuspecting women. Other stories go further, detailing his persistence to enter women’s bedrooms and allegedly grope them in their sleep.
A week after Spin‘s initial report was published, Mondanile released his own statement, referring to himself as an “insensitive creep,” who took advantage of his power as a musician. He made sure to mention Real Estate as well, specifically highlighting that the band required him to sign a “leaving agreement” prohibiting negative comments to be said from either party.
“In violating the terms of the agreement, Real Estate band members were not ‘protecting the victims,’ they were instead protecting themselves by sidestepping the controversy to protect the band’s commercial viability,” the end of his statement read.
Former girlfriend and current musician Julia Holter posted to Facebook on Oct. 24, right in the midst of each allegation coming forward about Mondanile. She wrote that what she was reading fell in line with what she knew about him from their past, while describing her personal experience of emotional abuse in their two-year relationship.
https://www.facebook.com/juliashammasholter/photos/a.153199631375220.28293.153196178042232/1872703409424825/?type=3&theater
These accounts are the latest to hit the indie and alternative world of music, joining allegations against Crystal Castles co-founder Ethan Kath and Marilyn Manson bassist Twiggy Ramirez.