The soulful country song is available now
Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Marcus King shares “Hero,” the third single from his forthcoming Rick Rubin-produced album Mood Swings, released on April 5th via American/Republic Records. King also announced he will return to The Tonight Show on Monday, March 11th for a highly anticipated performance.
On “Hero,” co-written with Dan Auerbach (The Black Keys), King’s arresting vocal shares the tale of relationship struggles, crediting exes, divine intervention and Auerbach for inspiration for the timeless track.
“This is one of those songs that seemed to write itself in a way” states King, “I was at Easy Eye in Nashville just dropping in to say hey to the fellas. I remember being a little troubled from a recent argument with my then-girlfriend and also struggling to maintain a fairly new sobriety at that time. In retrospect, it feels like a divine intervention that Dan and I both end up at the kitchen table with guitars and this beautiful chord structure comes out of Dan’s palms. This is one of my favorite cuts on the album because it has very little to no metaphor, hyperbolic lyrics or any other “writing” techniques- it’s simply a story. What I now recognize as one of the four attachment styles, a story of a girl unwilling to rely on anyone for her happiness and hell-bent on doing things herself or on her own as to keep from relying on anyone. ‘You weren’t looking for a hero.'”
Mood Swings is King’s magnum opus, an eclectic symphony of soul that is uniquely timeless and current. Drawing on King’s darkest moments, it became a beacon of hope for King as he created it, and will be a refuge for anyone going through similar challenges in their lives.
Legendary producer Rick Rubin who has worked with everyone from Adele to Johnny Cash, was instantly drawn to King’s guitar playing, singular voice and songwriting, and after witnessing a King live performance, one day randomly cold-called him to float the idea of working together. The pair secretly holed up for sessions in Italy and Malibu during the promotion of King’s critically acclaimed album, Young Blood. The result is King’s most sonically astute and personal album to date and a landmark moment for Marcus who for the first time lets his voice take center stage. “There was no hiding behind the guitar at all,” he grins. His smoldering country soul vocal, part Al Green, Bobby Womack, Marvin Gaye, Adele and Chris Stapleton, is set to establish him as one of the greatest vocalists of our time, no longer in the shadow of his own guitar greatness.
Mood Swings takes us in a very different sonic direction to his considerable catalog of studio albums. Combining elements as diverse as modern pop, R&B, aughts hip hop, piano-driven classic rock and the warm production and symphonic instrumentation of classic era soul, R&B and jazz. Previously released the song “F*ck My Life Up Again” is a considerable departure stadium-sized rock, with strings that accent over a smoky jazz beat, while his soulful delivery booms, “Come f*ck my life up again, don’t deserve to live without pain.” A guitar solo “played backward” channels stark confusion offset by the unshakable hook. On “Hero,” his croon rises over acoustic guitar towards a fluttering crescendo. The same naked emotion defines “Delilah” where over piano-led pop rock and innovative tracks such as “Inglewood Motel (Halestorm)” are an alt R&B masterpiece. The album closes with “Cadillac,” steeped in psychedelic symphonic soul it is an arresting tale of dark desires and suicidal ideation.
King kicks off the global tour in May in Seattle with dates throughout the year. The trek wraps on November 12th in Dublin, Ireland.
