The prolific British musician best known as King Krule follows up his 6 Feet Beneath The Moon album with a soundtrack for his South London neighbourhood. Released as part of a collaborative short film, book and music project with his brother Jack, A New Place 2 Drown fuses his post-punk, hip-hop and jazz influences that were more obvious on past recordings into a more personal and oblique sound.
The lyrics are, unsurprisingly, often consumed with romantic entanglements, but Marshall eschews wistful guitar riffs and pop song structures. Instead, the 21-year-old’s anxieties permeate murky, beat-driven electronic productions that filter the grimy feel of inner-city New York rap from the 1990s through his spectral South London baritone.
This emphasis is on mood and atmosphere, with bits of spoken-word poetry and drawled melodies drifting in and out as if in a flickering waking state. It’s early morning or late-night music, and more than capturing a specific place and aimless time, A New Place 2 Drown is a soundtrack for a slowed-down pace of life.
Top track: Arise Dear Brother
