Archy Marshall has crafted one heck of a creative resume in his 21 years starting with his first release in 2010, a track entitled “Out Getting Ribs” that was released under the Zoo Kid moniker. In the six years since, Marshall has released the King Krule full length debut, 6 Feet Beneath The Moon, and a disjointed but expansive collection of singles, EPs and LPs under King Krule as well as the monikers DJ JD Sports and Edgar the Beatmaker. A New Place 2 Drown is more expansive than any of these previous creations; created alongside his older brother Jack Marshall, the album’s release in late December of 2015 coincided with the unveiling of a gorgeous 208-page book of artwork and poetry created by the Marshall brothers as well as a short documentary created by Will Robson-Scott, both sharing the name of the album.
Standing alone from previous monikers and the accompanying A New Place 2 Drown creations, the music of this album breaches new ground. Within the first few seconds of the beginning instrumental, “Any God of Yours,” Marshall also establishes this album as a break off from his previous projects while still projecting that familiar, drunkish crooning folks loved on 6 Feet Beneath The Moon. The melodic simplicity and guitar work of previous Marshall projects is traded out for hip-hop electronics with abounding samples and synth.
“Ammi Ammi” is the only track with an outside contributor, a young English musician Jamie Isaac. Isaac’s voice fits perfectly into the mix with the Marshall’s, diving in and out of the front of the sound and interweaving with the throbbing bass and melodies. For any fans of unique sampling, this track starts off with a satisfying sound bit, albeit quite trippy. “Thames Water” has the heaviest beats of the album, and by proxy the most satisfying drops and hooks. Following closely behind in the body moving beats category is “Ammi Ammi.”
Getting lost in this LP is inevitable; it contains all the ingredients for spacey reflections and head nods, but if you tune back in to the lyrics and pick them out of the incredibly smooth mix, you’ll find words of substance and thought. The coddling loopy, ethereal harmonies from the brother’s voices and dopey bass lines feel lo-fi, but have a certain warmth. A New Place 2 Drown doesn’t reinvent genre’s (though it does reinvent Archy Marshall as a musician and artist) but it’s gorgeous nonetheless.
Recommended If You Like: King Krule, Nosaj Thing, Homeshake, Good Morning
Recommended Tracks: 4 (Ammi Ammi), 10 (New Builds)
Do Not Play: 2 (Swell), 3 (Arise Dear Brother), 5 (Buffed Sky), 6 (Sex With Nobody), 9 (Empty Vessels), 12 (Thames Water)
Written By Kayci Lineberger on 01/19/15