Drawing us in with a meditative soundscape and ethereal guitar tones, Mikhail Daken opens Marionettes with a sense of cosmic dimensionality along with a rising frequency, before the piece expands into a luscious and emotive rock energy.
We appreciate the flow of the track and atmospheric vocals with a cinematic allure. There is no doubt that Marionettes is perfect for a multitude of sync deals – notably a Hollywood coming-of-age movie or a TV show like Euphoria on HBO. We could even imagine it in the upcoming Buffy The Vampire Slayer reboot!
As for its message, Marionettes is designed to explore the fragile ties that bind people together, and the painful unraveling that follows when said ties begin to rupture. The lyrics examine notions of control, dependence, and disconnection, in essence, the feeling of being pulled by invisible threads whilst reaching for someone who might be slipping away.
We learn that the lyrics are meant to paint a portrait of emotional fracture, longing, and self-reflection. They are set against a backdrop of shifting states and fading echoes. Truly, the song serves as a meditation on how relationships can become both lifelines and breaking points. The comes to life with the cohesive tapestry of sound that manifests.
The track was created with producer George Lever, and also features Nick Hughes and Corey Britz of Bush(!) on drums and bass, which is somewhat incredible and actually makes a lot of sense sonically! The mix of post-rock elements and atmospheric layers creates a vibe that feels both wide and tight.
The music video also reflects the themes of the track, bringing to life a cerebral universe that gives Guillermo del Toro meets Tim Burton vibes. We appreciate the articulate editing of the visual and the colour palette is sublime with film noir as the main mood with pops of refined colour echoing elements of fire and ice. The moments where we see Mikhail Daken slaying on guitar are brief, but bring a human element to experience.
Needless to say, we are in awe, and have added Marionettes to our New Music Spotlight playlist, and our TIMELESS playlist, whilst we continue to stream the wider discography of Mikhail Daken, including Dissolution, and In Your Honour.