Mood Swings – Marcus King
★★★★★
Top picks: Mood Swings, Hero, Bipolar Love
Similar artists: Billy Strings, Luke Nelson and Promise of the Real, North Mississippi Allstars
Marcus King is known for his heartfelt lyrics and howling vocal performances, but on his latest album Mood Swings, he takes his talents a step further by working on intricate textures and retro-inspired sound. His soulful sound has charmed listeners for years, as evidenced by his 2020 Grammy nomination for his album El Dorado. Mood Swings is an emotional spiral dealing with heartache, substance abuse, and various mental health issues. Using music as his medium, King averted the downward momentum of his struggles and transformed them into inspirational art.
On this album, King ventured beyond his known sound with the help of famed producer Rick Rubin, who helped strengthen his technicality from a musical and psychological perspective. Rubin propelled King’s contemplative narrative to a new height by urging him to reach deeper into his emotional range.
The process of writing this album was emotionally harrowing, but it taught King how to grow as a writer and listen to himself before an audience. The addition of complimentary playlists made by King himself cemented this new album not only as a fresh release but as a release of contained emotion.
“I felt like I had to break some bad habits as a writer as far as writing for the listener instead of writing for myself. It’s gratifying.”
Through creative ritual, Mood Swings redefines vulnerability with passion and recall of traumatic history. Although this album is tasking, performing it live is liberating for King, as he finds validation of his struggle on stage and with his audience. Through the album process, King found that the pain of growth is necessary to heal, ultimately helping him perform each track live confidently.
“All of these songs carry a lot of weight for me, but having written them, and having released them is really the cathartic and therapeutic part for me; Being able to play them live, it is more of an effort to allow that same resolution or absolution for the audience member. But ‘Cadillac’ is a difficult one to play…it’s more vulnerable when you’re just with an acoustic guitar.”
‘Cadillac‘ is the final track on the album as it creates an uptilt in the emotional storyline. The song ends with a drunken voicemail from the night King first met the woman who is now his wife. As the voicemail ends the album on a sentimental, wishful tone, the opening track ‘Mood Swings‘ sets the tone for the record as soul searching in the scope of comfortably. On this track, King repeats a motto of “I feel like I can really be myself around you,” a nod to the validation sought during hardship.
The validation King finds in music allows him to explore grief and complex emotions as a form of creative therapy. As he pours his soul into his writing, he finds a new understanding of the hardships he has endured and recognizes that he does not need to face them alone.
“I spent a lot of time alone… The best friend that I made, she actually passed away in a car accident when we were thirteen. Before that, I would always just play the guitar. I felt this real emptiness and I king of realized how alone I’d been and I felt alone again. Sometimes it takes a stepping out of something to realize what it was…that’s when I started writing.”
Through his vulnerability, King accumulated an audience that not only commends his talent, but his willingness to share. Together, as audience and artist, King’s live performances exhibit how music can be a therapeutic experience and allow us to live through and beyond traumatic experiences. The emotional value of King’s discography forms a bond between himself and listeners built of trust, faith, and a helping hand.
Tickets to join this incredible experience as Marcus King continues his current tour can be found here.