Mark Mallman – Clowns (2024)
Having carved a niche in the US rock music scene, Mark Mallman is a trailblazing force as he pushes the boundaries of modern-day rock to its absolute limit…and then takes a few steps beyond that line. For over two decades, Mallman has enthralled listeners constantly evolving but always using music as a catharsis in the ever-growing mire of existential dread. A prolific musician, TikToker, songwriter and author (his 2019 memoir The Happiness Playlist: The True Story of Healing My Heart with Music praised by readers across the globe), Mallman has a way of ensnaring one’s senses with his eclectic creativity. The latest addition to his discography is the song ‘Clowns’.
While some people love clowns, most people tend to dislike them. Represented in It’s Pennywise, they’re really creepy with their painted faces, constant “in your face” attitude, and always hitting someone in the face with a fake hammer or tossing stuff around while laughing inanely. Who knows what lies behind the over-the-top exterior? Mallman delves into a clown’s creepiness as he tackles the grittiness of reality in his new single.
I find this intriguing as Mallman, with his ironic nickname Mr Serious, will always, in his words, “…tell myself I’ll be serious on stage, but I never make it through without cracking a joke.” Is this a clown sensibility, a jester perhaps? Considering the humour is a “way to cope with the darkness of my lyrics…”, perhaps not a clown; just a surface-level disguise. The single ‘Clowns’ is a stark, barebones, intricate wading through the vulnerability of tragedy, self-worth and confusion.
Following his well-received singles ‘The Cancer’ and ‘Seen My Own Ghost’, Mallman continues to shift his sound from post-punk and art-rock to a blend of alternative rock with dark classical sensibilities. Piano-driven, ‘Clowns’ has a hushed haunting with the interspersed violin sending tingles down your spine. Yet, while the melody is simplistic with subdued heaviness oozing from the poignant lyricism, there is a kaleidoscopic hit of profoundness in Mallman’s breathtaking vocals. Like reading a diary entry, a complex intimacy of utter turmoil exists in the duality of loneliness and humour.
Find out more about Mark Mallman on his official website, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, TikTok and Spotify.
This artist was discovered via Musosoup #sustsainablecurator
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