Rising alternative artist grapples with regrets and his innermost vulnerabilities on his new album The Sum of Small Tidings
As men, and as people as a whole, we have often had trouble finding an outlet for our emotions, not wanting to showcase our vulnerability to the world and highlight this side of ourselves to anybody that doesn’t have to see it, and this can often have negative effects on us as time goes on if we don’t find a way to express how we feel in a healthy way. For Marcus, better known as East Denistone, his music provided him with this outlet, and his debut full length The Sum of Small Tidings provides a fully fleshed out exploration of his vulnerability, regret, and deepest feelings.
The album opens in ambitious fashion, with the album seven minute journey that is ‘Our Last Ten Years Pt I and II’. The track has a slow-burning intensity and drive to it that feels as calculated as it is captivating, more than happy to move at its own pace and lull you into the swaggering tones and creative ideas that the album possesses. As it mutates and transforms on a number of occasions, it never lets go of this effortless smoothness and charm, it feels like a bold way to open up the album, but one that is more than rewarding enough if you take the time to settle in with it.
‘Bull’ follows, a track that has this really subdued and thoughtful feel to it throughout, gorgeously melodic and alluring but with a despondent kind of bittersweet sadness to it that gives it a really profound sense of depth and intimacy. The track moves at a really deliberate and soothing pace that gives it a really grounded and captivating feel, further signalling the range and depth of the artist’s sound with some truly beautiful choruses.
There is more emotional depth on display on the next track ‘First Light of the Morning Sun’, a nuanced, piano-led track that sees the artist reflecting on the state of his life and the lives of the people around him, making for some resonating and relatable moments that feel poignant and real. Knowing when to pull back and allow his artistry to shine through, and then knowing when to fill up the sound with more layers is something that the artist does masterfully throughout this album, and this track is a great showcase of that juxtaposition.
The next track is ‘Midweek Dinner’, a track that sees the artist collaborating with Diego Barraza to craft some more alluring and thought-provoking moments of reflection that features some gorgeous overlapping vocals, whereas the warm synths and production of ‘King of Diamonds’ adds a splash of colour to the artist’s sound makes for some memorable and engrossing moments.
The artist takes a regretful look back on his past and some of the choices that he has made on ‘I Wish I Was Over You’, a poignant ballad of a track that serves as one of the undeniable highlights of the album. The wonderfully composed and thoughtful nature of the sound and the emotion that drips from the vocals and lyrics is something that will leave a memorable impression on anybody who has loved and lost, and reaffirms the powerful and intoxicating nature of the artist’s charming sound and immersive writing.
Thinks take a more positive turn on ‘Happy After The Credits Roll’, another collaboration that sees the artist showcasing a wonderfully rousing chemistry with Murphi Field as they craft an absorbing and nuanced take on love and the complexities and uncertainties that come with it. The lighter nature of the soundscape and alternating vocals do a great job of providing a bit of levity and fun, and the harmonies that come towards the end of the track just send it over the edge in terms of its warm appeal and charm.
Things come crashing down to earth on the more sombre and grounded ‘Punchline’, a track that sees the artist back in his most reflective and sobering form alongside a soundscape that wouldn’t feel out of place on a Radiohead single.
The ambitious and haunting ‘Monolith / Silence’ is next, a slow-burning and intense track that sees the artist continue to spill his guts and lay out his innermost thoughts and feelings in introspective fashion. There is a sense of catharsis to the sound in spite of its moody atmosphere and slow pace of the first chapter, and by the time the chaotic and more rock-edged portion commits to its hostile takeover, it serves as a revitalising and impactful blow that feels like an adrenaline shot to the arm.
Following the beautiful and brief respite of ‘Talk About It’, the wonderfully poised and composed track ‘Not Quite Enough’ offers the album some of its most stripped-back and beautiful moments. With East Denistone’s artistry and rawness laid bare on an acoustic introduction before being met with a wonderful array of sounds that feels instantly satisfying and purposeful. The artist seems to have found a sense of self-assurance and happiness on the track, compared to the struggles with life’s pressures and his regrets that have often permeated the release.
The album comes to a close with ‘Pugilist Brain’, a track that follows what has already been a whirlwind of emotions and feelings, as the artist has been true to his word of expressing his vulnerability and innermost fears and feelings through his work. The track signs things off in his typically thoughtful and immersive fashion, reflecting on the battles that we face and the ways that they grow to affect us as time goes on. The track builds in a really rousing and thoughtful way, making for a truly memorable and impactful end to an album packed full of moments that feel richly deserved and earned, slowly burning to build towards these engrossing and sometimes devastating moments in the same way that we do in our lives over time.
