Marlon Williams. CREDIT: Derek Henderson
'Don't Go Back' sees 2022 Silver Scroll Finalist, Marlon Williams whipping around his party-boy tendencies as he grooves blissfully over a disco-funk bop, full to the brim with backing vocal echoes, energetic strums, and analogue synth hoots inspired by the native ruru that he was surrounded by when recording the song. Which also evokes his croon "Tērā te tangi a te ruru” ("That’s the cry of the owl”) and the bestial movements he leans into in the accompanying music video whilst wearing a rabbit-like onesie. All whilst looking very cool as always. And he really is the cool party boy, because cool party boys warn their friends against potential dangers of the night.
“It closely follows the narrative of the song, best summed up in the hackneyed old adage ‘nothing good happens after midnight’." Williams muses about the self-directed video. "I play a sort of furry guardian angel (inspired very loosely by Frank the Rabbit from Donnie Darko), who leans on his young charge to turn away from the debauched scene of a house party and head back home. The young man heads in anyways and checks it out before pretty promptly deciding to heed the advice and get the hell out of dodge.”
Marlon Williams will also be embarking on a four-show headline tour in January when he will be bringing his party magic to some magnificent spaces in Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland), Te Whanganui-A-Tara (Wellington), Ōtautahi (Christchurch) and Ōtepoti (Dunedin):
MARLON WILLIAMS 'MY BOY' AOTEAROA TOUR
FRIDAY 20TH JANUARY - CIVIC THEATRE, AUCKLAND
WEDNESDAY 25TH JANUARY – MICHAEL FOWLER CENTRE, WELLINGTON
FRIDAY 27TH JANUARY — TOWN HALL, CHRISTCHURCH*
SATURDAY 28TH JANUARY - REGENT THEATRE, DUNEDIN∞
Auckland and Wellington tickets at www.ticketmaster.co.nz
*Christchurch tickets at www.ticketek.co.nz
∞Dunedin tickets at www.regenttheatre.co.nz
All tickets on sale from 12pm, Monday 12th September
My Boy is out this Friday the 9th October via Dead Oceans. You can pre-order it via the Flying Nun Record Shop here. Be sure to check out his new video single 'Don't Go Back' below.
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