We’ve been sharing a lot of Edinburgh’s Marky Wildtype‘s music of late, and all his recent singles have been teasing his second solo album, If Destroyed Still True.

By Graeme Smith

Feature photo by John Mackie Photography

Singles Tell Me Again, The Hole, and Tomorrow have all been shared on our pages, and we were so enamoured with Marky’s sound that Jane even interviewed him. With roots in alternative rock, his new album sees him diversifying his sound as he attempts to find light in the dark.

Opening with the swaggering riff of Tell Me Again, we can tell straight away that we’re going to be in for something vibrant with If Destroyed Still True. Cynical and witty lyrics set Marky out from the pack while the darkness of the instrumental will appeal to lovers of rock. Just as you think you’ve got a grip on the track, a breakdown mixes things up.

Between the simmering Ship of Theseus and the folksy Days, Months Years, The Hole provides an early album highlight with its melancholic groove and hard-hitting lyrics. Other highlights include loud-quiet Tomorrow that goes from the raucous to the delicately soulful, the smouldering and philosophical Any Way You Live, the uplifting North Star, and simmering album closer Hidden in Snow. A slow-builder, it reaches a triumphant crescendo that sees off the album in style.

It’s difficult to reinvent a genre as established as alternative rock but, with his new album, Marky Wildtype has done just that. There’s plenty in it to keep things fresh and interesting throughout without losing its central, emotional message. There are devastating lows tempered by hopeful highs. It’s a beautiful accomplishment.

If Destroyed Still True was almost entirely written, arranged, recorded, mixed and mastered by Marky. It’s out now and you can check it out below.