From the Mind of Marlon Percy

Hailing from London, the multi-instrumentalist singer and songwriter Marlon Percy is the new rising star under the brilliant SoCal Records label. His sound is an intriguing pop blend that adopts much of the vernacular of Jazz and hip hop, all to channel his biggest strengths: His vocals and his lyrics.

Now his voice is certainly great. it's the kind of pleasant melodic timbre that has this incredibly wide appeal, but it's his technique that really stood out to me the most. He's able to play around deftly with his intonation and his rhythm, producing a sinuous but smooth texture that carries most of the melodic duties in the track. He lays down every line with very a very deliberate precise enunciation that's tailor-made for the song's mood and themes of finding peace and tranquility amid the rush of a million things speeding around inside your head.

Perhaps it seems a bit ironic that a musician would want to have a "quieter mind," but as someone who used to have a chatterbox of his own up there, I can relate with wanting some peace and quiet, or the ability to just be able to focus on one thing at the time. Marlon reflects on this in his song in the way that his vocals can at times come out like a flurry, but they never disturb the calm and collected mood of the song, never breaking that state of equilibrium.

On the song, Marlon himself writes “This track is reassurance for all the people, like me, that struggle with a busy, whirring mind." This perhaps could come as a comforting realization to a lot of -especially younger- people out there who sometimes struggle to find that center that allows them to really focus. You're not alone, this isn't a rare "condition" or a terrible flaw that only you experience. "In my experience, trying to let go of attachment (a characteristic of Buddhism and meditation) can really help to slow racing thoughts. The song explores trying to detach from modern desires and status in order to find a state of internal calm.” he leaves off with that nugget of wisdom.

For Marlon Percy, "The Mind" signifies an early -and incredibly strong- step towards the release of an upcoming EP in the coming months. I for one am already sold on his abilities and I'm more than eager to hear what he will shape this future EP into.

MEET THE AUTHOR

Samuel Aponte is Venezuelan-born raised and based. 

I joined Rival Magazine after a few years of doing PR work for independent musicians of all stripes; understanding their struggles to be heard in a sea of constant  ADHD noise and paywalled access to platforms, I now bring a willingness to always appreciate and encourage the effort and creativity that artists put into their work . Can also find some of my writings on LADYGUNN and We Found New Music.