Mari Dangerfield’s ‘Love Machine’ combines quirky pop with a retro-futuristic feel.
Mari Dangerfield – Love Machine
You may be able to think of at least one other song with the title ‘Love Machine’. But while the phrase is often used in a positive, insatiable, just-can’t-get-enough manner, Mari Dangerfield’s single focuses on the downsides of love machine life – when you just can’t help loving someone and responding to them, it all feels so helpless and automated that you might as well be chipped and coded.
Mari Dangerfield is an alt-electro artist based in London. After a string of singles and videos, ‘Love Machine’ marks the first release from her debut album, which continues on a similar theme, being titled ‘Love And Other Machines’.
‘Love Machine’ is a bubbling electro-pop single that walks the line between upbeat and melancholy, with a retro-robotic twist.
‘I think I know you’ begins the song, sung in Dangerfield’s restrained, moody-girl vocals. The lyrics have a simple sadness to them, describing the classic turmoils of love – ‘Should I let go?’ ‘Is this realist or have I made the whole thing up?’. These are combined with effortless melodies that flow easily over the driving track.
The production is sharp, centered around percussive, clapping, clicking beats, and a tripping bassline. The synth lines inject a retro technology feel, with 8-bit swoops and chirps, but there are also some unexpected harmonies and touches of strings. The layered backing vocals also bring 70s classics like ELO to mind. Fans of Marina and the Diamonds and Dodie will find something to enjoy here, and there’s even a music video complete with dungarees and quirky dance moves.
Discover more from Mari Dangerfield:
Discover more on RCM
- Unsigned Bands: Should Stop Wasting Money On Radio Pluggers
- How To Make Money As An Independent Artist. Here Are 5 Ways.
- Why It’s Becoming Harder For Unsigned Musicians To Justify Paid Social Advertising
- Five New Female-Fronted Rock Bands You Need To Hear
Words Eden Tredwell
