Marina City
Marina City was brought into our lives by the wonderful PR firm known as Lady Savage Management. One thing we did not anticipate, when starting this blog, was all of the lovely friendships we would make with people who genuinely believe in the artists that they represent. But once you have heard Marina City, you will believe in them as well. Their new record, The Simulation, was release just over a week ago, but was preceded by its four singles: “Runaways,” “Glaze,” “Hurt Me,” and “Feelings,” each offering the listener a glimpse into the band’s capabilities, which are as wide and diverse as anything we’ve heard in our lives. Focusing on the George Michael-ish and Prince-esque aspects that lie inside of tracks, like “Runaways,” might draw attention away from the seemingly boundless, soulful deliciousness found in “Hurt Me,” a monster of a track that hooked us from its very beginning. But don’t let that beginning fool you; pressing play will take you on quite a journey and the destination will have you playing this track on repeat for the rest of the day.
But we’re not going to let you walk away from this blog post without giving you a clear look at the obvious ‘80s dance music inspiration that makes Marina City stand so much further apart than other acts. Even with all of the pop music instrumentation, they never come close to sounding cliché, especially when you add in Ryan Argast’s powerhouse vocals. Seriously, the only thing cliché about that sentence was our use of the word “powerhouse,” which you will forgive once you’ve heard this dude sing! To get a clearer look at what we’re sayin’, press play on “Feelings,” but heed this warning: you are about to dance. If you are in public, you should make certain that you’re comfortable with everyone judging your skills:
Obviously, these tracks are just two glimpses into a much larger body of work. Though they are certainly two of our faves, do not be surprised if you walk away from this record favoring a track that we did not even mention by name. And if you are in the area, you should hike yourself over to one of their shows, where the dance floor is bound to be filled with people who love Marina City as much as you do now:
Oct. 29 - McFleshman's Brewing CO • Appleton, WI
Oct. 31 - Joplin Avenue Coffee Company • Joplin, MO
Nov. 12 - The GMan Tavern • Chicago, IL
-TM