You're not dreaming
Dale Maplethorpe
15:23 21st March 2023

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When you initially turn on the new Mar Omin single ‘When I’m Gone’, you’re going to think that you’re dreaming. Locked up in a fictional version of your commute, pressing play and that acting as the means by which your dream-self is told to wake up, your gentle and plucking alarm ringing in the background. Well, you’re not dreaming, this is the minimalist and serene introduction to a versatile and interesting new single.

The ringtone-like intro plays and after a couple of bars, Mar Omin’s warm and sweeping vocals come through. He contributes towards this lucid narrative with his dreamlike voice, it’s enough to make you feel as though you’re floating. He is accompanied by low bass, a water balloon dropped onto the plucky intro, burst and spreading, it creates a full soundscape that’s as pleasant as it is enticing.

I’ll admit, the chorus loses me a bit. The build-up is relatively minimalist but that emphasises the power of his vocals and makes the track stand out. The chorus is more subby, a bass which dominates every other aspect of the song, making it sound as though it would be playing in the background of a YouTube video that shows you around a theme park. You zone out ever so slightly, apart from towards the end of the track, where the drums become more sporadic and experimental, which is a welcome change. All in all, this is a lovely new single by an exciting artist.

“’When I’m Gone’ is about releasing my fear of being alone. I often write about leaving the past or people behind and going somewhere new. I guess I really have felt stuck most of my life.” Said Mar, talking about the new single, “I often felt I couldn’t be “me” or explore what being “me” would feel, sound, and look like. That there was no time for it… Therefore I’ve made many decisions I didn’t feel comfortable with. As I express in the song.”

You can listen to the new single ‘When I’m Gone’ by Mar Omin now

 

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Photo: Press