Marcus King is letting listeners in on some of his darkest times with his new single “Mood Swings.” The song is from his forthcoming album of the same name, announced today (February 8). For this new album, King is going in a slightly different direction than his other work, partnering with producer Rick Rubin to create a tragic, emotional, yet hopeful chronicle of his mental health struggles. Mood Swings will release on April 5.
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“Mood Swings” is gentle and soulful yet rousing at the same time. It features jazzy guitar phrasing, a thumping backing beat that mimics a steady pulse, and an opening spoken reference to “terrible hopelessness” that sets up the vulnerable track. King’s writing, instrumentation, and vocals shine on “Mood Swings” in a way that surpasses his previous work.
Mood Swings as an album draws on King’s darkest moments when he believed his only recourse was to take his own life, according to a press release. The album became “a beacon of hope” for King as he created it, allowing him to be vulnerable and open with his struggles. The single features gut-wrenching lines like Let me explain myself / It’s the first time I’ve felt / Like I wasn’t running us into the ground and Time don’t heal no pain / I still feel the same / Because time is standing still. Anyone who has dealt with personal mental health struggles can relate to lines like this.
[RELATED: Marcus King Releases New Pain-Laced, Rick Rubin-Produced Track “F-ck My Life Up Again”]
Marcus King Announces 2024 Tour in Conjunction With Forthcoming Album Mood Swings
In support of Mood Swings, Marcus King has also announced a 2024 tour. He will tour North America and Europe for his own headlining tour, as well as going on the road as support for Chris Stapleton. The tour begins on March 7 in New York City and concludes on November 12 in Dublin, Ireland. Presale tickets drop on February 12, while general sale tickets drop on February 16.
King has allegedly been working on this album since 2020, when he first met producer Rick Rubin and engineer Jason Lader. They decided to record something the first time they met and toured the studio space together. “I laid down guitar and vocals, we added Rhythm Ace R77 drum machine with tape delay to achieve the swing we desired, added bass & piano and after half an hour the track was finished,” King said in a press release.
“The track and album title ‘Mood Swings’ is a play on the swinging nature of the material while also referencing my up and down shifts in mood while I was either abusing the wrong substances, in between mood stabilizing meds and anti-psychotics, self-medication on top of that, along with a foot locker FULL of repressed childhood trauma all being taken out on my relationship at the time.”
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