Marky Wildtype is an artist like no other, creating unique pieces of pop music that sounds like nothing else on the airwaves at the moment. I was enamoured when I first heard his song Place Of Peace, and I recommend our readers give the track a chance if they haven’t heard it yet – you can find a full stream at the end of this interview!
By Jane Howkins
You recently released a new single titled Place Of Peace. What can you tell us about the song?
It was in the last batch of songs written for the album. Songs tend to come in different ways and this was one that came out lyrics-first, at least for the chorus.
How has the reception to Place Of Peace been so far, and where can it be purchased?
It’s been pretty good! It’s had a bit of radio play and some really nice reviews. It’s a bit of an epic song, so I guess for the kind of listener/reviewer who prefers you to get to the chorus within 30 seconds it might be a bit more of a hard sell, but I think the musical journey it takes is worth it, and I’ve been lucky enough to be found by at least a few people who are on board with that. The song can be found on all the usual streaming places, but if people actually believe art has value and are inclined to part with money(!), I’d recommend my bandcamp – http://markywild…mp.com
Do you have any more singles planned for release soon?
Yes! I’m putting out one more single before the album. It’s called Tomorrow and it will be out on Friday June 7th. It’s probably the emotional centrepiece of the album, and is a big old fashioned anthemic rock song, with feelings!
Place Of Peace is the third single from your upcoming record If Destroyed Still True. What can you tell us about the record and when will it be released?
The album will be out on Friday 5th July. There are a lot of different sounds that make up the album – I’ve tried not to limit myself to a specific ‘sound’ per se, but I’d say it’s tied together by a kind of alt. rock sensibility. That said, I’m always particularly drawn to music with hooks of one kind or another – melodic, rhythmic, lyrical – so I think that’s something that comes across in my own songs. I want each one to get stuck in your head at different times! Thematically, it’s a journey through a rough and highly emotional period of my life, in terms of events, mental health and larger social issues. Through the medium of catchy tunes!
What was the writing and recording process like for the album?
In a word: lengthy! There’s been plenty going on in my life (and the world) since I last made a record, so I have not been short of things to write about.
The initial seed of a song might be a lyric or a wee chord progression or a riff – I’m always writing down thoughts and phrases and recording little voice notes – which then gets knocked around for a while to see if it can develop into a song. That can take anything from days to years. And at that point it’s still usually in a fairly basic form. I’ll then record it with acoustic guitar and vocals. And then it gets built out from there. In some cases I’ll have a preconceived idea of how it should sound and in others I’ll just experiment and try things out until something starts to make sense. It’s a fun process, but not a quick one.
Your music has a unique pop sound. What/who are you most influenced by? What have you been listening to recently?
It’s hard to be specific about influences in terms of what actually comes through in the music. I know my earliest pop sensibilities came from my mum’s record collection – lots of 60s pop and especially The Beatles. My own early tastes were rock-oriented, like Nirvana, Therapy?, The Wildhearts, Weezer. But those are all also bands with really catchy songs, which is a bit of a throughline. These days I listen to a pretty wide range of stuff. A small recent selection might include Aurora, Billie Eilish, Taylor Swift, Swim School, Biffy Clyro, Arcane Roots.
You’re based in Edinburgh. What is the local music scene like in your area?
There’s a lot of creativity here, but not a lot of infrastructure for a music scene. The council (or other unseen dark forces) like to close live music venues with alarming regularity. That said, there are some amazing bands/artists like The Jellyman’s Daughter, SHEARS, Swim School and so on.
Do you have anything else exciting coming up over the next few months?
As I mentioned I’ve got another single coming out on 7th June called Tomorrow. That will lead in to the album release on 5th July. I’m still cooking up ideas beyond that! I’m enjoying playing with video a lot at the moment, so there may well be some music videos on the horizon.
Do you have any tour dates lined up for the UK?
Nothing currently! I’ve done a fair bit of grinding through the small venue circuit in my time and generally found it an expensive slog, and a wee bit depressing, especially in terms of turnout. It’s not often people will come out to hear music they don’t already know, so I tend to focus my energy on making the music and putting it out into the world these days. I do love playing live though, so if it seemed like there was a willing audience I would absolutely be keen to put together a live show
Any last words for the fans?
Hello! You are wise and beautiful and, if I may say so, smelling delightful! Also thank you for taking a chance on new music from artists without huge money machines behind them – keep it up.