Review by Daniel Deprè
“This Look” is a track that is full of surprises and its atmosphere is thick and addictive. It’s hard to pin a genre here, and that’s one of the song's many strengths. It begins with an indie-folk vibe, but then the entrance of electronic drums adds an unexpected layer. “This Look” continues like this, growing and expanding on top of its cinematic and emotional core. This is the kind of music that is easily relatable and very cathartic, “This Look” takes you to an emotional place and then leaves you altered.
Lyrically, Clay Markley is singing about the subtle but incredibly poignant feeling we get when someone we’re attracted to reciprocates that feeling. He does so by meditating on the simple connection you feel when a person you’re into looks back at you with lust in their eyes. Markley's writing is very poetic and gives you enough to create an image in your head without spelling things out too much for the listener.
“My way home, feel the strain, I can’t wait to see your face, at my fence, 4 am, I up the latch, I let her in, can you see how she shines, when she’s right there looking at you.”
The instrumentation of “This Look” is filled with lots of different layers and textures and they all amalgamate into a wholly unique sounding song. Starting with electric guitar and vocals, the song has a bit of a 90’s grunge sound to it. The percussion that enters has a strong EDM/Hip Hop vibe, creating a wonderful mix of genres. There are lots of really cool and ethereal sound design elements that pop in every so often and they add such wonderful textures to “This Look.” Clay Markley's vocals are so expressive, layered with just the right amount of processing to sit well with the other ethereal sound design elements. “This Look” is a unique offering of multiple genres with strong lyrics and catchy melodies.
About Clay Markley
A Lifelong genre-bender, Clay grew up humming tunes, and music comes to him like second nature. He doesn't need his music to be defined, it just shuts out potential song ideas and creativity. A lover of musical expression and freedom, he is here to break the rules. A Wisconsin native songwriter and producer, this is is Clay Markley.
Comments