When the Covid-19 pandemic hit and the world was forced inside, many of us found comfort in new hobbies. Some learned to cook, others how to craft, yet in a North London home, something special was happening. Marlon Bianco decided to dust off his Roland keyboard and get to experimenting.
Inspired by the empty streets of the city, Bianco set out on a cosmic journey that has already seen the release of some of the most underrated and sweepingly magnificent releases of the last few years, including the eclectic album ‘Life in Low-fi’. Now, the artist is back with the exceptional single ‘We Once Knew’.
The track opens with a grandeur that was hinted at on his debut album but never fully realised. With inspired beats interlaced by jazz-infused synths and regular funk bass interludes, the song feels like a cosmic cacophony laced with 70’s swagger.
The disillusionment of the lockdowns of yesterday are clearly referenced on the lyrics, as Bianco sings, or rather states, in his gruff vocal style – “Help me baby I don’t feel myself / The worlds gone crazy I believe I talk to myself / Or to somebody else…”. The overhang left by the singer fits in with the tracks overall feel of unresolve. ‘We Once Knew’ threatens to crescendo but never commits, instead the hypnotic backing track is interlaced by short explosion of incredible bass riffs and cinematic synths, yet all this only adds to the intriguing nature of the track.
On his SoundCloud, Bianco describes himself as a "Melancholic cyberpunk" and after listening to this track you start to understand why. The release feels like it would be right at home on the soundtrack to Blade Runner, but only if the film had been directed by Stanley Kubrick, where the otherworldly chic is more akin to Arctic Monkeys' ‘Tranquillity Base Hotel and Casino’ than the menacing dystopian sci-fi flick.
What is for certain is that ‘We Once Knew’ is sending Bianco to orbit.
James Ogden
Image: ‘We Once Knew’ Official Single Cover
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