I’m a sucker for a good story song, so I was happy with what I have been listening to over the last few days. I have been streaming Weird by the band Friendmaker. They have a new EP out on House of Strange Vinyl with three tracks, Weird, Leaky Mick and Vinny P The Talker and You, Me And Everything Else.

Weird is the second single from their forthcoming debut album.

You, Me And Everything Else was released earlier this year to warm reviews.

Friendmaker, from Carrickmacross, Irish: Carraig Mhachaire Rois, meaning ‘rock of the wooded plain,’ is a five-piece band fronted by singer, songwriter, and guitar player and producer David Marron Marron (vocals.) Joining David Marron are Maolíosa McMahon (vocals and keys), Paul Finn (guitar and vocals, Paul Markey (bass) and Fintan Marron (drums.)

The accompanying video takes its cues from the artwork of the De Stijl movement. Like the works of Mondrian and Van Doesburg, the video attempts to distill its subject matter to the very most uncomplicated form. The minimalistic primary colours of DeStijl are gone. Refined further to a monochromatic palette that basks in its absurdity. Fragmented surrealism unfolds to the song’s rhythmic patterns attempting to smother the viewer in what could and should be a straightforward performance video. A suffocating truncation of half shots and obscured movements creates any perceptual discomfort. 

It seems appropriate that Friendmaker makes rock music on a wooded plain, Carrickmacross. I’m not sure how to fit the wooded plain into this blog, but give me enough time, and I am sure one will come to me. Speaking on the new release ‘Weird’, songwriter David Marron says, “Lyrically, the song searches for meaning in a recurring dream, examining the semi-consciousness experienced between waking and sleeping, specifically the changeover between abstraction and lucidity and asks why the events of a dream often stay with us beyond slumber, dictating our conscious mood as if rooted in reality? Do we pay enough attention to the foreshadowing presented in our recurring dreams? And can we afford to ignore a subconscious that consistently throws up a repeated storyline?”

After Marron’s previous band, Sanzkrit, ground to a halt, Marron found himself trying to fill a void by playing guitar in a few bands DJing, doing graphic design for bands and running an Arts Festival. Even though he was busy in creative fields, he felt he was still ignoring a significant and essential part of himself. He notes, “Music was solely personal therapy for dealing with difficulty. It wasn’t something I really felt like sharing at that time.” 

I am grateful that Marron came to a place and time where he was ready to deal with the difficulties. What came out of that experience is this collection of three songs that wet my appetite for more deeply personal pieces in the upcoming full-length album. It will undoubtedly be equally tricky, but I surmise it will be similarly exciting and listenable.

Weird was released on April 21st via the band’s imprint House of Strange Vinyl and will be available everywhere digitally, including Bandcamp.

You can keep up with Friendmaker via these links.

https://www.friendmakermusic.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/friendmakermusic

Twitter: https://twitter.com/friendmakerIRL

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/FriendmakerMusic

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@friendmaker_music

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGKcxhoOk6l7zbD7Zk4Yhzw

Bandcamp: https://friendmaker.bandcamp.com/releases

SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/friendmaker

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6eE80iEGoLKujWy0Ba2VK3

Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/friendmaker/1593059624

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