When Marvel Mike found himself on lock down back in April, he wrote the song Strange Times In The City as a way to put perspective on these new, unprecedented challenges we suddenly faced as humans forced into a global quarantine.
With that song under his belt, Marvel Mike realized he had a lot more to say. He also had an urge to dive deeper into the production side of songwriting.
Soon an EP formed. That EP is titled May The 4th Be With You, and it is now available!
Holding true to the DIY ethos, Marvel Mike has delivered an upbeat, hard hitting, lyrically potent Hip Hop project featuring neck-breaking rhythms, well placed (sometimes jazzy) samples, strong melodies, driving bass, and confident flows with equally confident lyrical content.
Kicking off the EP with a hard hitting, string-and-brass-infused instrumental, The Journey introduces us to Marvel Mike’s strong flow and his ability to pump up the energy with this self-produced, anthemic opener.
Moving into the following track, Strange Times In The City, we are greeted with a somewhat darker, more serious sonic atmosphere that is driven by a potent synth melody, smashing snares, and the initial spark of inspiration that evolved into the new EP.
Got That Bounce kicks off with an attention-grabbing saxophone before launching into an up-tempo, body-moving, sub-bass groove with crispy hi-hats that will force you out of your seat and into rhythmic jumping…errr bouncing…motions instantaneously.
I’m a huge fan of the brass samples strategically placed throughout On My Mind. This track was inspired when Marvel Mike‘s corner of Canada entered their second round of lock down. On My Mind is another track with a hard hitting rhythm section that is guaranteed to have your head nodding. Supported by a smooth flow and more potent lyricism, On My Mind stands out as one of my favorites of this EP.
Now at the grand finale, we find ourselves grooving to a distorted synth melody line which is reminiscent of Miami-esque, 80s era electro-pop-rock…or at least that’s the vibe I feel. Something about this track takes me back to days playing Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. I can’t quite place it but none of that nostalgia is necessarily relevant to the fact that Marvel Mike, once again, crushes a hard hitting (self-produced) beat with his lyrically-packed flow.
Now it’s your turn. Excuse me while I let the repeat function do its thing.
Listen to May The 4th Be With You on Bandcamp. It will be on Spotify and Apple Music soon.
Connect with Marvel Mike on Facebook.
