Marcos The Arrow, a British singer-songwriter with Spanish and Cuban roots, gives the impression that a musical species long thought extinct has instead found a way to adapt and thrive in some forgotten genre. He sings with the voice of someone who’s seen the up and downside of living and has made peace with it. Marcos The Arrow has a lovely deep lilting voice, with a casual flair for understated drama. He induces a state of trance with organic folk instruments just as easily as he does when using ambient synths, and his hypnotic voice. The single ‘Lonely Days, Strange Days’ treats indie folk like ambient music, making for an all-embracing, ear-warming listen.
Throughout, his single ‘Lonely Days, Strange Days’, Marcos The Arrow gently picks an acoustic guitar, and any additional instrumentation is subtle, yet it all still manages to add extra dimension to the searching lyrics, the cornerstone of this dreamy, ambient-styled folk song with an indie flavor. At his best, Marcos The Arrow’s approach, balances flawless performances, intimate atmospheres and folky accessibility.
‘Lonely Days, Strange Days’ sounds like a heart-warming lullaby. The overarching sense of warmth in this sound makes for a deeply satisfying listen, but underneath the gorgeous tranquility of the voice and music, runs a darker, more inquiring narrative, trying to make sense of an existential dilemma, such as the sense of solitude in the modern world. There are discernable echoes of Nick Drake and Leonard Cohen running through Marcos The Arrow’s sound.
The pastoral folk sound of the single finds Marcos The Arrow using the acoustic guitar to add subtle shades of color to the song, giving it real emotional depth and breadth. There is also an overarching reliance on melody as he adds another sophisticated layer to his songwriting incorporating elements of psychedelia. The singer-songwriter’s yearning, wistful vocals, and skill with subtle aural flourishes, gives this track a unique charm.
Few artists balance simplicity, experimentation and distinctiveness as well as Marcos The Arrow. The complexity of what he is trying to communicate hardly fails to impress, relative to the primal structure through which it’s carried. The maturity, delicateness, and sincerity of ‘Lonely Days, Strange Days’, demonstrates the refinement and purity of self-expression that Marcos The Arrow has achieved on this single. Moreover, it’s all delivered in a wonderfully straight-laced fashion.
To write ‘Lonely Days, Strange Days’ off as simple folk pastiche would be to sell it short. It is a wonderfully immersive track. The subtle melody needs time to bed in before the song gradually comes into bloom, but when it does the effect is ravishing. There is a classicism to the song that gives it a mature, lived in feel, but also disconnects it from any specific era, or one single genre, giving it a unique and distinctive feel. ‘Lonely Days, Strange Days’ is imbued with sublime melodic flair and a lingering atmosphere that echoes after the final note has been played.
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