Antebellum

Mark Geary is a Irish song writer from Dublin. He moved to New York around twenty years ago and honed his craft in a small bar called, Sin-é. Here he honed his craft aongside artists like Jeff Buckley, with U2 and Sinead O’Connor drifting through. Mark signed his first record deal at Sin-é. He has since been compared by Time Out Magazine to musics top names such as Richard Thompson or John Lennon.

Following the release of his previous album In The Time of Locusts last year, Mark released his newest EP Antebellum on May 15th. This EP consists of gentle acoustics, a touch of electric guitar, soft vocals and reflective lyricism.

“The Harbor“

The opening song for this EP “The Harbor” is wonderfully gentle. Although not the focus track of the EP this absolutley stands out as the highlight for me. It consists of gentle acoustics paired with warming vocals. You could compare the song to that of a lullaby. When listening to the lyrics you’ll find them personal and reflective with a catchy backing tune.

“If There’s Anything Left”

The song opens up with gentle strumming, atmospheric sounds and soft spoken singing. Mark speaks about keeping memories and carrying on with life throughout its ups and downs. It gives me a relaxing feeling listening whilst probes the mind to think also of others and those we love. In my opinion Mark’s lyrics can be interpreted from two angles. One being a relationship gone wrong and choosing to keep the memories alive or move on. Two – from the point of view in loss and a loved one keeping hold of memorys.

“Headlights”

In “Headlights” we again get the atmospheric backing music and acoustics, a common them throughout the ep. This is marked as the focus track and it certainly brings another feel and energy to the lineup. The acoustic whilst starting soft picks up in energy throughout, especially at the chrous. You can’t help it but get goosebumps or a shiver up your neck from the rise.

“The Light”

The song starts and maintains a consistent tempo throughout, energetic but gentle. It feels like a nice follow up from Headlights, keeping that comon EP theme. Mark repeats the same lyrics a few times over , which feels though the focus is on the instrumentals. “The Light” is also the first song we get introduced to some electric guitar heard towards the end to bring the song out with a big rise.

“Roots”

We again get treated to some electric guitar in “Roots”, which sounds as though a wah is in play with the lead guitar. The instrumental is very basic in composition with just lead guitar, drums and some acoustic fills. It is low energy but keeps you listening through clear and strong vocals. I find myself letting my mind drift with this tune and just rolling with each cry of the lead guitar.

“Avalanche”

Marks energy picks up for “Avalanche”. The instruments and vocals pair well in this track, both make their statement and make it strong. The lyrics speak of current polictical issues like Palestine and epstein pushing you to make your own stand in the ever approcahing avalanche of trouble we experience in todays world. A wonderfully impactful end to Marks EP.

Conclusion

The standout song for me is certainy “The Harbour”. Since first hearing it, I have constantly found myself singing and hearing its catchy tune in my head. It’s a great ep overall and if you are looking to chill back, bask in the gentle acoustic instrumentls this is certainly the album for you. Mark’s style is wonderfully crafted and will be sitting in my top songs for time to come.