Artist Village: Zoo Kid

Whatever his stage name may be it is undeniably so that Archy Marshall is talented for his age. At only 17, he’s seeing gigs at festivals more often than American rated-R movies. But that is rather insignificant for a guy who hails from the old empire, a native of gloomy city blues we all know as London.  His delicate, beachcomber windowsill tunes reminisce over the tired lyrical themes of love and hurt, pain and pleasure. But the difference in his delivery of cliché antics about being “beaten down” by a girl is the man himself. This isn’t a band or symphony of coupled ideas; this is simply a guy with a guitar who stands alone, his own isolated silhouette. The depth of his voice and the direction of his words suggest that despite being young, he is rather experienced at life in a hauntingly beautiful way. His voice and his echoed message sound distant, channeled from another room in another land. He is a young lad from South London, but what he is manufacturing transcends international stigmas. The Brits are known for their pop sensibility and catchy gigs, but Zoo Kid/King Krule undercuts the stereotypes with dark new wave and sometimes dubstep infused melodies. I am engulfed in his London fog ballads because they are captivating and a mellow drug addiction in themselves. Although his earlier songs fall under the moniker Zoo Kid, Marshall has since flipped the title to a more childlike King Krule (supposedly a Donkey Kong reference). Despite the implications, King Krule is a must listen. 

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