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Photo credit: Jack (Exploding Head Sessions)

Rat the Magnificent's “Marrtalon” Receives a Mystifying Music Video

Photo credit: Jack (Exploding Head Sessions)
Photo credit: Jack (Exploding Head Sessions)

One constant, intangible factor you’ll find in all great albums is staying power. The ability to sound timeless yet relevant, regardless of trends, is where true talent lies; even more so now, where the average music fan is subjugated to an overabundance of choices at every turn. So, it’s a good sign that eight months after its release, there are still new things to discover and enjoy in The Body as Pleasure, the debut album from Rat the Magnificent. Noisy, dense, melodious and full of strong songwriting, the band doesn’t hew to any one genre or sound, but they do tug on an array of emotional strings. Rat the Magnificent since decided to capture the intensity of the album’s second track “Marrtalon” on video, premiering right below.

Vocalist Perry Anderson appears in the dark, his visage split down the middle, recalling the old Incredible Hulk TV series; are these two ideas, two personalities? The video’s minimal and Lynchian approach keeps it ambiguous, even if the lyrics are more direct than one would expect: “If you need a helping hand / Just say it out loud / If you’ve gone and lost your way / Don’t be afraid.”

It’s the voice of someone who has lost people, and fears losing more, but also knows that darkness. The song builds to a crescendo before changing gears to a more sublime cadence, but never loses the slightly sinister undercurrent. Anderson’s earnest expressions convey the song’s message and the unadorned photography keeps the focus on the subject matter. It’s personal, maybe even a bit uncomfortable, but that’s art.

The Body as Pleasure released June 21st, 2018. Stream the whole album below:

Rat the Magnificent has a few upcoming tour dates:
April 26th — The Flapper, Birmingham, UK
April 27th — The Festing, Portsmouth, UK
May 30th — Le 3 Pièces, Rouen, France
June 1st — Magasin 4, Brussels, Belgium

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