Marlon Williams – My Boy (CD)

My Boy, the third solo record from New Zealand singer/songwriterMarlon Williamsannounces an artist emerging anew. Gone is the solemn, country-indebted crooner with the velvet voice in his place comes a playful, shapeshifting creature.

Following the release of his second album, 2018sMake Way For Love,Williams toured the world, playing major festivals and collaborating withLorde,Yo-Yo MaandFlorence Welch. He also forged a fledgling acting career with roles in filmsThe True History of the Kelly Gangand Netflix seriesSweet Tooth, as well as a cameo in Oscar winning filmA Star Is Born.My Boyparlays this flush of worldly experience into a vivid record as spirited and kinetic as the unfolding life of its performer.

As the pandemic paused global travel, Williams found himself at home in New Zealand, reconnecting with family and friends. Soon new demos and lyrical themes emerged: of self-identity and escapism; tribalism and a gnarled family tree; and ruminations on the role of masculinity and mateship.

Co-produced withTom Healyand recorded at Roundhead Studios in New Zealand,MyBoyfindsWilliams leading a new band through a set of genre-hopping tunes: from the cheery sway of My Boy and chugging 80s noir sheen of Thinking Of Nina,to the charging synth of River Rival, and the sultry pop jam Dont Go Back. All this sonic and emotional whiplash is intentional, and ultimatelyMy BoyseesWilliamshaving fun, even while interrogating the behaviours of himself and those around him.

Tracklist

1. My Boy
2. Easy Does It
3. River Rival
4. My Heart The Wormhole
5. Princess Walk
6. Dont Go Back
7. Soft Boys Make The Grade
8. Thinking Of Nina
9. Morning Crystals
10. Trips
11. Promises