New Zealand singer-songwriter Marlon Williams presents a new single/visualizer, “Easy Does It,” from his forthcoming album, My Boy, out September 9th via Dead Oceans. “Easy Does It,” a marriage of Polynesian and bluegrass, sways with serene guitar picking. Williams kicks off the track with a Māori greeting, “Ngã mihi to your friends when they stop calling,” as his voice drifts over shuffling guitar and the twang of lap steel. “I’ve always loved Lee Hazlewood’s personification of ‘Easy’ in his song ‘Easy and Me’; what a great way of cutting to the point,” says Williams. “It worked for the Greeks, it works for Māori too. I wanted everything about this song to be as gentle as possible. From Delaney Davidson’s lap steel intro with its Pacifica 6th chords to the whispered vocal delivery to the soft summer visualiser which is something of an addendum to the ‘My Boy’ video: the boys, sweaty from the days digging and dancing, launching into the shallows of lyttelton harbor, hoping to lure some poor sailors to a watery grave.”
Watch Marlon Williams’ “Easy Does It” Visualizer
Over the last four years, Williams has forged a fledgling acting career and become an in-demand collaborator. My Boy parlays this flush of experience into a vivid, dynamic record as spirited, complex, and kinetic as the unfolding life of its performer. “I’ve always explored different character elements in my music,” says Williams. “And I think the more I get into acting, the more tricks I’m learning about representation and presentation. I’m trying to make my worlds feed into each other as much as possible. To get braver and bolder with exploring shifting contexts and new ways of doing things.” My Boy does – it sees Williams firmly having fun, even while interrogating the behaviors of himself and those around him.
Gone is the solemn, country-indebted crooner with the velvet voice. My Boy is a more playful, shape-shifting creature, as Williams has presented in a string of singles – “My Boy,” “Thinking of Nina,” and “River Rival.”“It happened naturally,” Williams explains. “I was listening to more steely, New Romantic stuff, like Duran Duran, John Grant, Perfume Genius, the Bee Gees. All those things fed into the machine.”
Next month, Williams will embark on a full North American and European Tour. Full dates are listed below and tickets are on sale now.
Watch Marlon Williams’ Video for “My Boy”
Watch Marlon Williams’ Video for “Thinking of Nina”
Watch Marlon Williams’ Video for “River Rival”
Marlon Williams Tour Dates
Tue. Sep. 13 – Boston, MA @ The Sinclair *
Thu. Sep. 15 – Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Made *
Fri. Sep. 16 – Washington, DC @ The Miracle Theater *
Sat. Sep. 17 – Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s *
Mon. Sep. 19 – Toronto, ON @ The Great Hall *
Wed. Sep. 21 – Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall *
Thu. Sep. 22 – Minneapolis, MN @ Turf Club *
Sat. Sep. 24 – Denver, CO @ Lost Lake ^
Tue. Sep. 27 – Seattle, WA @ Tractor Tavern ^
Wed. Sep. 28 – Vancouver, BC @ Hollywood Theater ^
Thu. Sep. 29 – Portland, OR @ Aladdin Theater ^
Mon. Oct. 3 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Troubadour ^
Wed. Oct. 19 – Dublin, IE @ Button Factory #
Fri. Oct. 21 – Glasgow, IE @ King Tuts #
Sat. Oct. 22- Leeds, UK @ Brudenell #
Sun. Oct. 23 – Manchester, UK @ YES #
Tue. Oct. 25 – Birmingham, UK @ Hare & Hounds #
Wed. Oct. 26 – London, UK @ Koko #
Thu. Oct. 27 – Brighton, UK @ Patterns #
Sat. Oct. 29 – Paris, FR @ La Maropquinerie #
Sun. Oct. 30 – Zurich, CH @ BogenF #
Wed. Nov. 2 – Munich, DE @ Ampere #
Thu. Nov. 3 – Berlin, DE @ Hole44 #
Sat. Nov. 5 – Copenhagen, DK @ Hotel Cecil #
Sun. Nov. 6 – Oslo, NE @ Parkteatret #
Mon. Nov. 7 – Stockholm, SE @ Nalen Klubb #
Wed. Nov. 9 – Hamburg, DE @ Nochtspeicher #
Thu. Nov. 10 – Cologne, DE @ Artheatre #
Sat. Nov. 12 – Antwerp, DE @ TRIX #
Sun. Nov. 13 – Amsterdam, NE @ Paradiso #
* = with Jo Schornikow
^ = with Merk
# = with Reb Fountain
Download hi-res images and jpegs of Marlon Williams