marigolden takes us all to 'Mars' on latest folk/indie rock single.

Melbourne-based (Wurundjeri Country) artist, marigolden (aka Mel O’Neill), lives up to the description as the Queen of Contradiction with the release of her third single, ‘Mars’, which blends gentle folk and indie-rock, and adds passion and power.

Compared to previous releases ‘Taking It Back’ (2020) and ‘Just Like Smoke’ (2021) that has a twist of neo-soul groove, ‘Mars’ has a life of its own. The progression of O’Neill’s art is evident in this new single.

‘Mars’ is heady existentialist indie rock with a folk bent, built upon some heavily 70s punk poetry a la Patti Smith. While the track could easily be an acoustic-based track with the bare musical essentials, it is far more potent utilising the extra instrumentation, which in turn pulls more intensity from O’Neill’s vocal takes. Building moments before lift-off, the track takes off, buffering through the stratosphere, before the ending breaks through and leaves you drifting off in to the dark void, in hope of finding a metaphorical new world.

A delicate track that plays like an internal monologue, ‘Mars’ encapsulates exhaustion and discontent. O’Neill’s lyricism and vocals drive the track. Tender lyrics open the single, accompanied by warm, grounding tones of the guitar. The track is instrumentally structured to follow the emotions conveyed as O’Neill states:

“Have you ever felt a bit fed up with humanity? Like everything around you is a bit too hard and you wish you could just scrap it all and start from scratch? That's sort of what 'Mars' is about. The ebb and flow of this feeling is mirrored in the song's structure. Guitar drives the song from a soft, vulnerable start to a climactic full band ending that truly encapsulates the essence of feeling overwhelmed.”

Throughout ‘Mars’, the ebbs and flows of the track are directed by the intensity and power of O’Neill’s vocals. The pure emotion is met with full-band instrumentals that introduce the indie-rock influence into the track. Slow builds of rolling drums and a twang in the guitar push the single forward whilst harmonies float in between.

Following great acknowledgement from her previous releases, marigolden has found her way into being playlisted with MTV, and plays on Triple J, Double J and RRR. Premiering the music video of ‘Just Like Smoke’ on The AU Review, marigolden is solidifying her spot within the indie-rock and folk landscape.

Need to get away from the world? Immerse yourself in ‘Mars’ which is out now on all streaming platforms.