Hailing from Brooklyn, New York, Nicholas Comaratta has creatively constructed a vivid and psychedelic sound as he delivers his latest single, "Salton Sea."
His krautrock project known as Marjorine is brought to life by an incredibly adept ability to piece together melodic, electronic sound waves and riveting guitar riffs as a culmination of diverse and enjoyable music. A former member of various bands, Nicholas now gears his talent towards producing hypnotic and in-depth tunes for audiences to pleasantly grasp and ride with into a desirable mental atmosphere.
As the song's introduction unfolds, a deep bassline and subtle percussion compliment a plucky electric guitar riff with uplifting, organic chemistry. "Salton Seas" features some delicate, seemingly faded vocals that offer some mindful serenity in the form of savvy yet straightforward lyricism. The perfect track to unwind to, the song gives off a divine sense of enlightenment that keeps you hooked as it creates a world of its own, inquisitively taking hold of your conscience. As the song enters the outro, some high electric guitar playing, and blissful chime, Marjorine's excellence in allowing listeners to fully immerse themselves in the moment is harmoniously debuted.
Looking ahead, a full-length album is in store to be released later this year. Join the excitement as we feverishly await the next great music to emerge from Marjorine.
Congratulations on the release of your new single "Salton Sea." Was there a moment in particular that you drew some inspiration from in order to begin making this track? Most if not all of this song came together on the fly while working in the studio one day. I was working on another track and became quite frustrated so I decided to let my mind wander a bit and then the guitar riff came together and I knew I had something. I think a lot of the riff is influenced by “If I Needed Someone” by The Beatles, and particularly just George’s style around the era of Rubber Soul/Revolver. You can also hear that in the vocal breakdown too. The song is also obviously inspired by a trip to the Salton Sea that I had made with my girlfriend earlier that day. It’s a pretty eerie and desolate place in the desert and I feel like I was chasing that type of feeling in the process of getting the sounds right. Has the pandemic affected your choice of moving from playing in bands to making your own music, or was that a decision made beforehand? It’s definitely pushed me to finally finish and record some of these songs that I have been writing for years now. I focused a lot on live stuff both in bands and with electronic music before, and once all of that fell apart last year I decided to just find a way to create a project where I was able to combine my love for both in the studio on my own. How has your past experience in the music industry impacted how you create your own sound today? I would say that playing a lot before really diving into recording helped me get closer to a sound that would be satisfying and feel unique to me and my influences. I also DJ’d almost excessively a few years back and I think those experiences of both hearing how tracks can fit together in a room and the emotional reactions dancers get from specific moments in songs has made me a better songwriter, particularly with the arrangement. Because I’m working sort of across genres sometimes it can be difficult to decide which elements need to be included and which need to be left out. Thankfully working with bands as well as performing solo as an electronic musician means I have a variety of experience making decisions on arrangements in different scenarios. So I like to think that this experience can help me in the studio but in reality, it’s still always a bit maddening, especially when you’re working by yourself. If you could speak on the upcoming album a little bit, what can fans expect to hear once it's released? Will it feature a lot of diversity or center itself around a more particular sound?
It’s in the works, but it’s a long process. It’s definitely the most difficult yet satisfying thing I’ve worked on so far. There are a lot of songs that have been waiting to be recorded for close to a decade and then there are tracks like “Salton Sea” that happen on the fly and help me explore new sounds along the way. It could be two EPs, or it could be one full album, depending on how well the old and the new fit with each other. You can expect a lot of shoegaze and krautrock mixed with a bit of disco and trip-hop. I like to think of the rhythm coming from one spectrum while the sonic characteristics come from another. The challenge will be making sure it’s cohesive and not too diverse.
What's next for you?
A lot of recording and even more pacing back and forth while listening back. I’ll hopefully be back in New York by the time summer comes around and maybe can get back into playing some outdoor shows if things turn out well with vaccines etc.