New Zealand musician Marlon Williams makes indie-pop that's intimate but energetic. There are elements of power pop on a couple of tunes on his new album, My Boy, out now via Dead Oceans, but most of the selections favor an approach that's singularly robust and melodic. On the whole, there's less variety in style here than on his 2018 album, but Williams elevates to a new level still.
While "Don't Go Back" is full of spark and heart, "Princes Walk", one of the highlights here, is lush and heartfelt. A new fan of Marlon Williams might feel like some of this is similar to recent records by Kevin Morby, and there's a slight sliver of truth to that idea. But Marlon Williams, to these ears, remains a rockier version of Nineties Rufus Wainwright. "Soft Boys Make the Grade" is a lovely ballad, while "Morning Crystals", a spry ramble, melds a winning hook with light instrumentation.
My Boy, out now, reveals an idiosyncratic talent, but one whose work features moments that link the material up to the sound of some solid contemporaries. Assuredly performed and deftly arranged, these compositions navigate spaces between traditional singer-songwriter stuff, and a more ornate sense of what indie-pop is. His heart is on his sleeve, but Marlon Williams retains an intellectual's sort of control over the presentation of his quietly elegant offerings.
[Photo: Derek Henderson]