The Last Dawn and Rays of Darkness are a pair of new albums by Mono. Recorded simultaneously yet conceptually and creatively disparate, the two act as both opposing and complementary sides to a story. No strangers to narratives, the twin albums explore familiar themes for the band: Hope and hopelessness, love and loss, immense joy and unspeakable pain. Those elemental parts of life and the complicated relationships they create have never been more resonant through Mono's music than they are here. The Last Dawn is the first of these two companion albums, and is the "lighter" of the two.