Ducktails Music Has Been Pulled From Streaming Services Following Sexual Assault Allegations

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Following a wave of accusations that Real Estate guitarist Matt Mondanile sexually assaulted at least eight different women, his music has been nearly wiped off the largest streaming services. At this time, several of his albums with his group Ducktails have been taken down off Spotify, including the group’s most recent effort Jersey Devil. In addition, his two, full-length solo albums St. Catherine and The Flower Lane have also been wiped.

According to Pitchfork, it appears that the independent music distribution company The Orchard is responsible for the removing the albums from Spotify and Apple Music. All of his work with Real Estate is still apparently available. This is the latest blow to Ducktails who recently saw several tour dates nixed because of the controversy surrounding Mondanile.

One of the first to speak out against Mondanile was Zoë Ligon, a journalist and sex educator who lives in Detroit. She recently spoke to Uproxx and said she, “spoke with many, many other victims of his unwanted sexual advances. Many of us did not feel like this was a life-changing pivotal assault, especially the way he brushed it off — which was definitely gas-lighting. As young girls in the Brooklyn indie rock scene, we thought this was just part of our experience in dealing with this genre of music.”

“Mondanile continues to victimize people mostly between the ages of 16 and 21,” she further noted. “It’s almost always with illegal substances coke, or alcohol, which is illegal for an underage person. When you have a drunk 19-year-old, that’s not consensual sex. At the time I thought, ‘oh this guy is really cool and powerful, so even if this sucks for me, I’m being idealized and privilege in the eyes of this man.’ So who would call that rape? At that point in time, the way sexism within the scene was being talked about, it would’ve been outrageous for a 19-year-old to come out against an established musician. I would see him in the scene, and he would keep his distance because he knew he had fucked up. I don’t want him locked away, because I don’t think that’s a solution, but I do think he’s a genuine threat to society, and every promoter and venue that continues to book him is at the point where they’re putting young women in danger.”

We’ll update this story as it develops.

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