New Zealand singer-songwriter Marlon Williams has shared details of his third studio album, ‘My Boy’, as well as its second single.
The album, announced today (June 15), serves as the official follow-up to 2018’s ‘Make Way For Love’. The announcement was pre-empted on May 3 by the release of what has now been revealed as the album’s title track, which came out last month. To coincide with the news, Williams has lifted another single from the album, entitled ‘Thinking Of Nina’.
An accompanying music video has been shared for the song, directed by New Zealand production collective Sports Team (not to be confused with the UK band of the same name). A press statement from Williams noted that the clip was inspired by music videos from the ’80s, including Duran Duran‘s ‘A View To A Kill’ and Spandau Ballet‘s ‘Gold’.
Watch the video for ‘Thinking Of Nina’ below:
In the same statement, Williams noted the song’s themes of “the dangers of wearing different faces in different places”, and “of waging wars on multiple fronts”.
“This is a song about… having so many selves as to not be a self at all,” he said. “Also at play is the dark phenomenon of White Knight Syndrome; the desire to simplify, infantilise, protect and ultimately commodify an object of desire.”
In their own statement, Sports Team noted that Williams went “full [Humphrey] Bogart” for the music video, “smoking a heroic amount of cigarettes for the part”.
“Special mention must go to Alice May Connolly in the role of Nina, who transcended her small screen time to convince us this fictional ’60s spy show may exist,” they said. “Or else, it needs to.”
‘My Boy’ was produced by Tiny Ruins guitarist Tom Healy at Auckland’s Roundhead Studios – a studio owned by Crowded House frontman Neil Finn. Finn’s son and Crowded House bandmate, Elroy, also plays drums on the record.
Williams also noted a change in musical influences while writing the album, which is reflected in the finished product. “I was listening to more steely, New Romantic stuff, like Duran Duran, John Grant, Perfume Genius [and] the Bee Gees,” he said. “All those things fed into the machine.”
‘My Boy’ is set for release on September 9 via Virgin. View the album artwork and tracklisting below.
Marlon Williams’ ‘My Boy’ tracklisting is:
1. ‘My Boy’
2. ‘Easy Does It’
3. ‘River Rival’
4. ‘My Heart The Wormhole’
5. ‘Princes Walk’
6. ‘Don’t Go Back’
7. ‘Soft Boys Make The Grade’
8. ‘Thinking Of Nina’
9. ‘Morning Crystals’
10. ‘Trips’
11. ‘Promises’
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