Photo Credit: JM Collective
ANNOUNCES UK HEADLINE TOUR INCLUDING EVENTIM APOLLO, HAMMERSMITH
DRAWING ON DARK TIMES, KING HOPES MOOD SWINGS WILL BE A REFUGE AND A BEACON OF HOPE FOR OTHERS ON THE BRINK
“I love the way listening to this album makes me feel. I can’t think of another project quite like this one. Marcus’ playing and singing are from another planet”
Rick Rubin
Marcus King has announced the release of his new Rick Rubin produced album, Mood Swings, out April 5th via American / Republic Records / Snakefarm (UK).
Mood Swings is King’s magnum opus, an eclectic symphony that is uniquely timeless and current. Drawing on his darkest moments, it became a beacon of hope as he created it and will be a refuge for anyone going through similar challenges.
Accompanying the album announcement, King has released the title track, ‘Mood Swings’, the perfect introduction to a body of work that highlights the different direction King is taking on the new record. The song is a soulful slow burner with pulsing electro-drums and loose jazz-tinged guitar, which leaves space for King’s vulnerable and honest vocal to shine through.
Listen to ‘Mood Swings’ here
Pre-order Mood Swings here
On ‘Mood Swings’, King stated, “In the early summer of 2020, I arrived at Shangri-La for my first meeting with my hero, the legend, Mr. Rick Rubin. As soon as Rick & I met it was like a spark in the room! I immediately felt welcomed, appreciated and mutually admired.
“Rick and I had a wonderful first introduction, and he left me in the capable hands of his ace engineer, Jason Lader, an incredible talent who would become a dear, dear friend. Jason and I toured the space and then, just for fun, decided to track something, and what we tracked was the title song, ‘Mood Swings’. I laid down guitar and vocals, we added Rhythm Ace R77 drum machine with tape delay to achieve the swing we desired, then bass and piano, and after half an hour the track was finished.
“‘Mood Swings’ is a play on the swinging nature of the material, whilst also referencing my up and down shifts in mood while I was either abusing the wrong substances, in between mood-stabilising meds and anti-psychotics, self-medication on top of that, along with a foot locker FULL of repressed childhood trauma all being taken out on my relationship at the time.”
Legendary producer Rick Rubin, who has worked with everyone from Adele to Johnny Cash, was instantly drawn to King’s guitar playing, singular voice and songwriting, and after witnessing a King live performance, cold-called him to float the idea of working together.
Rick Rubin stated, “I love the way listening to this album makes me feel. I can’t think of another project quite like this one. Marcus’s playing and singing are from another planet.”
The pair secretly holed up for sessions in Italy and Malibu during the promotion of King’s critically acclaimed album, Young Blood. The result is King’s most sonically astute and personal album to date, and a landmark moment for Marcus who for the first time lets his smokey and affecting voice take centre-stage stating, “There was no hiding behind the guitar at all!”
Yet Marcus King didn’t plan on making ‘Mood Swings’. Heartache, addiction and mental health brought him to the brink, and during a North American tour, he had designs to drink himself to death. He admits, “I had an escape route already decided for myself and a backup if that didn’t work.”
Despite its often bleak subject matter, ‘Mood Swings’ is an album with a message of hope; it takes us in a very different sonic direction to his previous outing, combining elements as diverse as modern pop, R&B, aughts hip hop, piano driven classic rock and the warm instrumentation of classic era soul, R&B and jazz.
The title track follows the release of, ‘F*ck My Life Up Again’, which was the first taste of what’s to come from King’s new sonic endeavour. It was here Rubin helped King find a new personal and sonic approach, and instead of crumbling under the weight of his anxiety, inspired him to shift his perspective. “He helped me view mental health as a writing partner,” recalls Marcus. “I’ve learnt it can give me that creative spark.”
Though Mood Swings has cemented King’s journey with his mental health, he has been open about his challenges in the past, and has launched various mental health initiatives, most recently a guitar auction collaboration with MusiCares.
On Mood Swings, we find King gracefully standing in his own truth, accepting the challenges he’s faced and coming out the other side a man renewed. It is a rebirth of both his sound and mind. “Without this assembly of songs, I don’t think I’d be around,” King shares, “I hope this album can act as a safety blanket, a rescue, or a refuge for anybody struggling with mental health, substance abuse or relationship issues. That’s what it is for me.”
King heads to the UK and Europe this November for a run of dates, including a show at London Hammersmith’s, Eventim Apollo. More information at https://www.marcuskingofficial.com/
UK AND IRELAND 2024 TOUR DATES
November 05 – Eventim Apollo – London
November 06 – Albert Hall – Manchester
November 07 – Barrowland Ballroom – Glasgow
November 09 – O2 Institute – Birmingham
November 10 – The Great Hall – Cardiff
November 12- Olympia – Dublin
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