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Illuminating the inglenooks of the Northeast music dwellings, the mononymous Marrianne has set the centrepiece of summery singles ablaze with her alacrity in her latest single: ‘To Be Torn’. This angelic gem finds its introspective roots in the emotional acceptance of our innermost conflicts; in this case, we are swept along Marrianne’s narrative of not being completely over someone and the anguish of watching that someone move on. Unlike the typical break-up bop, we are immersed in positive lyricism, hopeful in the regard of moving on for oneself, whilst being wary of the pangs of abandonment. It is crazy to think Marrianne nearly scrapped the entire song, only for one day of starting afresh to inspire the diaphanous dalliance of dulcet piano melodies and viola-esque background instrumentals that we can now become addicted to!
Taking influence from not only the lyrical composition of artists like Julia Michaels, Taylor Swift and JP Saxe, Marrianne has an impassioned admiration for the multi-layered melodic structures of soundtracks, such as: ‘Good Omens’ by David Arnold. It is, of course, no surprise that Marrianne grew up with a prominent love for musicals and a plethora of distinctly different genres, which she has been experimenting with since the decision to attend her primary school choir. After years of demure musings on the page, Marrianne discovered the joy of writing musicals with peers during her college days and released her debut single in 2019: ‘Thinking ‘Bout Me’. She has not slowed her drive for success ever since.
That places us in the now, where we are gifted with ‘To Be Torn’. Opening with the lithe lull of light piano chords, the influence of soundtracks is audible in the smooth, polyphonic textures that adorn the introduction with an incandescent timbre – as listeners, we feel immediately refreshed with the crisp, mellow rhythm of the instrumentation. On that same note, I particularly love how Marrianne has arranged her instrumentals: the andante ascension from the tender romance of Marrianne’s astonishing vocals and piano playing, to the silky meanderings of the subtle viola-inspired progression; building up to the mellifluously vibrant dynamics of the gossamer-like tambourine/drumbeats. This labyrinthine of soft melody contours is emphasised seamlessly in the sforzando of everything except the sweet trail of the piano playing alongside Marrianne’s impressive vocal talent.
When asked what she would potentially change about this single, Marrianne expressed her wishes to create an orchestral version, which I think would sound amazing; especially when considering how she would expand on the choral elements. The final choral segment of the song coloured me enamoured with the chunky layers of felicitous harmonies, you can hear the passion and experience – if someone told me this song came from a chart-topper I would believe it without a doubt.
Equally as meticulously constructed as her music, Marrianne’s branding behind this single is just as evocative as her beautifully authentic lyricism. Denotatively, the blossoming artist wanted to tear up a physical image – since we are in an age where deletion of photos from our social medias is the norm during a break-up – Marrianne felt that going a little old-school with a classic Polaroid would really reinforce the realness of her message.
Additionally, replacing the torn half with a photograph of radiant flowers not only showcased her love for natural imagery, but it helped to boost the hopefulness of her single’s themes.
With lyrics as touching as ‘Be falling / And flying / Someone will love to hate you / The way you love to hate me’, could you really think of anything but beautiful, juvenescent imagery to accompany them? As much as I love the talent she has displayed with her knowledge of instrumental arrangement, Marrianne’s lyrics are also very resonant with my own experiences with relationships and that is why I think she will always continue to thrive – she writes songs as if they are straight from the pages of her diary. Mesmerising work.
Being lucky enough to have a chat with Marrianne, when I asked what she hopes her growing fanbase takes away from her single, she amiably replied with: ‘We all go through things, we all have bad experiences, but my songs and I are there for you. We get it. So I hope they give it a listen, feel how they need to feel and then dance or sing it away with me. It sounds cheesy but it's true. I hope you enjoy it, but I also hope you take something real from it whether it reminds you of something or someone, makes you think about how you feel or have felt and makes everything just a little easier. That's what music is supposed to do for you, be there for you to comfort you but also not to talk back and to give you the space and freedom to think and feel.’
Marrianne will be releasing her new album ‘All the Things I Should Have Said’ very soon, featuring twenty-one tracks, including some of her earlier works like ‘Up at Night’ and ‘Dear Arthur’, on her Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter pages. She also divulged how she hopes to collaborate with other local musicians on stripped-back versions of her previous singles and even orchestral and acoustic remixes for the brilliant single we have looked into today. Safe to say I will be keeping an eye on Marrianne’s Spotify, that’s for sure!
Follow Marrianne at @marriannemusic to see more of her wonderful music!
Article By Rebecca Todd
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