Marsupial Lion – Solar Glare (2020)
Travis Jonathan is the singer-songwriter behind the pet project Marsupial Lion. This one-man house band is an outlet for music that attempts to rescue humanity and claw at the heart of the machine holding it down. His latest track ‘Solar Glare’ off his debut album Juvenilia is the opening salvo in this battle.
Using a genre-defying sound, the song meets listeners in their anxiety-ridden caves. It helps to diffuse the collective tension through an undulating melody that is quintessentially hopeful. Blending layered lyrics and overarching sounds, Marsupial Lion offers a fresh take on electro-pop and new-wave.
‘Solar Glare’ gets your attention with a progressive opening that echoes through your brain. The soaring guitars and undulating synths combine to both create and ease the tension in the melody. Throughout the song, the unrelenting drive in the melody creates an energy that makes you want to do something. There is also a very 80s feel to the melody, particularly when the synths pick up and the drum drives through you.
As the melody makes you think of solar flares, the vocals use an airy tone to enthral you. The 80s vibe of this song continues with the vocals. The performance also throws you for a loop as you are shifted from anxiety to tension to a strange sort of hope of liberation. While the lyrics have a lot of layers to them, you do not have to spend the entire song wondering what they are trying to tell you.
Marsupial Lion throws you through synth-driven tension and anxiety in ‘Solar Glare’. The undulating melody soars over you at times while echoing through you at others. The vocals defy any classification but are strangely easy to enjoy.
Find out more about Marsupial Lion on his Facebook, Instagram and Spotify.
