CoolTop20’s New Release – Evil Worm by Marveline

by Lean at CoolTop20

https://cooltop20.com

The new release by Marveline is called ‘Evil Worm’ and it’s already out on Bandcamp. It will be available on other streaming services on 10th December. A pre-save is available here.

How would you describe it? 

“Like Bowie and Gary Numan wandering around Berlin in winter 1977. They’re starving and cold and stumble into an Egyptian restaurant, where Mick Ronson is in the corner smoking a hookah and playing guitar and hurdy-gurdy through a giant tape-echo machine. That’s how I’d describe it, but it’s nothing like that of course. Well, it is a little bit.”

What’s the song about? 

“Bad stuff.”

What inspired you to write it? 

“Something that’s been creeping into a few of my tunes recently – the state of things in general. The world seems overrun with buffoons and thugs and a celebration of ignorance. I know that’s not really the case, most people are decent human beings. But I’m seeing so much of it – I need to stop doom-scrolling and internalising so much of it. Two years of this and more to come. I also had a minor health issue recently, (not worms, ha ha), and I think that has made its way into the whole thing. The next song is joyful – I promise!”

Do the lyrics have a special meaning to you? 

“All my lyrics mean something – I can’t just write a nonsense tune. Sometimes I wish I could.”

Is this release different from your previous releases? 

“Yes, it’s darker than anything I’ve released lately, and very synth-driven. Got a bit of a middle-eastern thing going on too. Doesn’t have the usual verse chorus verse chorus bridge etc form.”

Where was it recorded and mixed? 

“Recorded initially on an iPad mini in a house on the NSW South coast- the vocal track is the one-take version I sang into the iPad mike in GarageBand! – then transferred the song to Pro Tools on my main studio computer in The Peppermint Lounge once the Sydney lockdown ended. I then re-did all the synth and bass parts, and for the first time in a while, I mixed and mastered it myself.”

Is the release accompanied with a music video? 

“Not yet – I have an illustrator friend drawing characters for me and I’m going to attempt another animated clip – the first one since ‘Another Perfect Day’ in early 2020.”

When releasing a new single is there a sense of excitement or panic? 

“I don’t panic any more. Though I still occasionally wake up at 3am wondering if I sent the right audio file to Spotify.”

What’s your favourite memory of recording?

“The way the demo came together on the iPad. It was really quick and had such a moody atmosphere. I just had the chord sequence on acoustic guitar, that was the only instrument I had with me, and built it up from there. A great result in a couple of hours.”

Is there a story behind the art work?

“It’s a photo I took from near the house I was staying in. There had recently been a bushfire and this burnt thing looked kinda menacing – it’s almost like a curled up hand on the end.”

(This article first appeared on CoolTop20 on 6 December 2021.)