With no shortage of R&B talents in the country, Maarly is one artist that you should have on your radar. Maarly is such an interesting artist because she occupies a space in R&B that we don't see all too often. For the sake of comparison, Maarly is like South Africa's Jhene Aiko. Her voice is angelic and her production has a sort of murky soulful feel to it. She has a cadence that makes her music unique. 'Oblivion' puts you in this dystopian space where Maarly narrates the rather bleak place she is in.
The EP opens up with the song 'Joy' which is probably the most light-hearted song on the EP but it still fits into the overall theme of 'Oblivion' but I think that Maarly was at the peak of her powers on 'Some Typa Way'. The song brought together everything that I think makes Maarly such a unique artist. When the song begins, you don't really know which direction the song is going in and Maarly's, almost harmonic, vocals carry you throughout the song. I think the song has a groove that feels like a blend of psychedelic R&B. The way Maarly's distant vocals and that sort of psychedelic production paints a picture that sees Maarly entrenched in a whirlwind of emotions.
The story all comes crashing down with the songs 'Leave This World' and 'Grey Skies' which paint a much darker picture in comparison to 'Some Typa Way'. Maarly has a way of making really dark topics sound beautiful. She goes about these topics in a way that you feel the grief and pain. When Maarly says "Tell my baby I'm bout to I'm bout to leave this world, I will be in a place where there are no body's but souls", you are caught in a weird place because you're enjoying such dark content and you kinda feel bad that it sounds so good.
The EP closes with the song 'Grey Skies' which I feel was a beautiful way to round off 'Oblivion' and it seems fitting that the story of 'Oblivion' ends with such a dark song. Maarly is an incredibly talented artist who has a unique sound and 'Oblivion' is just the beginning of her musical career.
Stream 'Oblivion' below.
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