Following a five-year hiatus and a recent sold-out performance at Omeara, Mike Marlin returns with a riveting new single, “Whale Hill.” Co-produced by Danton Supple and Danny Monk, the cinematic track serves as a precursor to his forthcoming album, We Start With Silence. Inspired by fossilized remains found in Chile, the songwriting adopts an interesting, alien-like perspective on human legacy, blending atmospheric guitars with a deep, narrative-driven vocal presence.
Marlin’s solemn, mellow vocal deepness appears initially amidst debonair bass and twangy guitar mystique. “They found them in the desert, right beside highway 53,” his moody vocal descriptions continue, then escalating into a more radiant guitar jangling and matching vocal vibrancy. “It’s harder than it seems, to let go of your dreams, and let your heart drift slowly to the shore,” Marlin’s vocals soar there, fondly reminiscent of Richard Hawley in the seamless developments from deep-toned introspection to more emotive theatrics.
The track’s two-minute turn imparts an especially compelling soundscape, where chilly doses of piano combine with the dynamic guitar work, again excelling in its array of murky momentum and shimmering “let go of your dreams” hooky vibrancy. A haunting “…slowly to the shore” vocal moves into a resonating, fade-out guitar effect, lingering with melodic impact into the satiating conclusion. “Whale Hill” is a wholly memorable piece of songwriting from Mike Marlin.
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This and other tracks featured this month can be streamed on the updating Obscure Sound’s ‘Emerging Singles’ Spotify playlist.
We discovered this release via MusoSoup.
