There are very few artists that can consistently produce incredible work whilst injecting an incredible amount of vulnerability and emotion into each track. MarMar is one of these artists.
On his new EP ‘The Other Side’, MarMar allows us to step into a world of experimentation and euphoria, laying everything out on the table so we’re able to experience everything on a deeper level, as he guides us through each note, beat, and tone.
‘Sobers Me’ is the EP’s opening track and if you’ve been following MarMar’s work for a while, you’ll quickly notice that this track is a lot more upbeat and energetic than what you’d expect. The muted tones quickly add light to smoky atmospherics and the light percussion dances above the airy vocal samples, and buzzing synths inject a rough texture to the whole production. It feels fun, a little bit gritty, and delicate. ‘Sobers Me’ is an infectious track and one you’ll come back to time and time again (I already have, so you can take my word for it).
‘Missing Me’ is also quite upbeat, but the tempo is slightly slower, and the energy of the track is more rounded and hollow. Two sets of airy vocal samples bounce alongside the beat, with humming tones following close behind. The pace is like skipping in a park, and it’s an interesting feeling because there’s a colourful, summery vibe to ‘Missing Me’ even though the vocals repeat the phrase “I wish you’re missing me. It’s like you want to be longed for, but you’re also in a very uplifting headspace, so there’s a really interesting juxtaposition there that’s intriguing. Of course, the track is also just really nice to listen to because every note flows smoothly throughout the melody, and the production feels effortlessly silky. ‘You’re My One’ though, is a bit different.
After having two tracks that tend to stay on the velvety side, ‘You’re My One’, which also features vocals from arnii, turns the texture up a notch. The track kicks off with vibrant atmospherics that buzz over pulsating tones and sharp, digitised samples before arnii’s vocals guide high hats and tapping percussion through the haze of the atmospherics. Instead of feeling velvety, ‘You’re The One’ feels bright and zesty, but still quite euphoric. The euphoricness continues throughout ‘The Other Side’ because really, if it doesn’t feel euphoric and make you feel something deep inside, then it’s not a MarMar track. ‘You’re The One’ feels like a warm embrace and the collection of samples that follow arnii’s vocals really add a lot of coarseness to the track that’s really exciting to listen to.
Next, we have ‘Shadrach (Interlude)’. Interludes are becoming more and more common, with artists adding either emotionally charged monologues or simply calming instrumentals into the middle of an EP or album to act as a bit of a palette cleanser for the listener. This particular interlude is yes, euphoric, but also really whimsical. High samples that sound almost like bird song swirl amongst gentle atmospherics, and the sound of rushing water echoes in the distance. This is the feeling you get when you’re lying in a bright grassy field, just watching the clouds go by and everything just feels calm. Even when the breathy, chopped vocals come in with the solid beat and graceful percussion behind them, things still feel calm. You just get lost in the melody and want to play it over and over again to keep that feeling going.
When we get to ‘Walking On Water’, the humming synths are a lot deeper, the atmospherics are smokier, and the vocals feel almost ghostly. The sharp percussion and twirling samples add colour to the darker tone of the track, like stars in an incredibly dark sky. SMOORIBA provides the vocals for this track, and instead of guiding elements of the production like arnii’s did on ‘You’re My One’, here SMOORIBA’s vocals are immersed in the melody and fully become one with it. It’s like instead of just surfing on top of a wave, you’re fully inside the barrel, surrounded by water and feeling like you too could live in the ocean.
‘Cloud World’, in all honesty, feels like the sweetest track ever, even after just listening to the first few notes. If you’ve ever wanted to listen to a song that literally feels like fairy floss (or cotton candy depending on where you are in the world), then I’d highly recommend slapping on some noise-cancelling headphones for this one so you can fully embrace it. Chopped vocals float amongst almost tropical samples and when the beat dives in, the joy and happiness this track radiates just gets better. The percussion is super light, the samples sound almost like soft wind instruments as they drift amongst the pastel atmospherics and nothing feels weighed down. Everything on ‘Cloud World’ is airy, soft, and so lovable – it’s an instant mood booster and is so gorgeous to listen to.
Finally, we have ‘England (was sitting in the back of the studio and made this)’. Now, if this title says anything about MarMar’s creative capabilities, it’s that when inspiration strikes, he’s able to fully dive into the flow and produce something so incredible, even if it only took him a few minutes. ‘England (was sitting in the back of the studio and made this)’ may be short, but it packs a punch. It doesn’t hit too hard, but there’s a lot of movement and the way the vocal track slides across the pumping tones, slapping percussion, and steady atmospherics feels like moving very quickly through a rainy city day. There’s a lot going on but there’s still a dreaminess to it, and of course that euphoric touch that MarMar is always able to inject into his tracks. This is probably the most solid feeling track on the EP but also showcases a different side to MarMar’s production style, where the feeling of franticness is balanced with an enchanting dreaminess.
Every track on ‘The Other Side’ makes you feel something. Whether it’s serenity, excitement, or whimsy, every melody speaks to a different part of you, but of course, this is MarMar’s work, and so every track does also feel incredibly dreamy and allows you to transport yourself into a new headspace and get you out of the monotony of life.
‘The Other Side’ is an EP that doesn’t just showcase MarMar’s amazing production abilities, it fully welcomes you into his world and honestly, it’s pretty fantastic. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to leave this world anytime soon, so this EP will be on repeat for the foreseeable future.