Marco Z

Under the moniker Marco Z, thirty-something DIY troubadour gone day time clerk Marco Zanetton got temporarily world star famous overnight in his home country of Belgium. With a country-pop anthem about freeing up one’s mind from the shackles of post-slacker doctrine he got all the nation’s generations whistling along to “I’m a Bird” as well as to the subsequent singles off his debut album “The Ordinary Life of Marco Z”. All this obviously took him by surprise as he put himself on a Jim Carreyesque Yes Man-style rollercoaster ride resulting in him quitting his day-job, grotesque triple life size stage banners and numerous awards and celebrations. Following his then-current personal mantra of “more is MORE” Z went on to release a double album “Hold Me Like the World is Ending” in 2015. Some well-received singles and a few live classics such as “Politician’s Daughter” and “Smartphone Screen” still stand out. Now, six years after his ordinary world got wild, Marco Z is back with an old-fashioned double single “Apocalypse Kisses/The Most Beautiful Night”. Backed up by The Pretty Dead Sea both songs reflect one of Z’s many to be revealed unexplored sides. Mixing up an eighties style lead synth, a crooning voice and an unapologetic big chorus “Apocalypse Kisses” is a perfect follow-up to his last album closer “Hold Me Like the World Is Ending”. The main character’s personal apocalypse seems to coincide with the current times we’re living in: both scary and full of opportunity. Think eighties Springsteen having a party with The House of Love and The Psychedelic Furs. The heart-warming duet “The Most Beautiful Night” on the digital flip side introduces the beautiful vocal of Elke Smeets. References to old school Iggy-Kate are appropriate and cheesy synth pads sound far from coincidental. This tale of finding beauty inside of a dull Monday evening is a sweet attempt at reinvigorating the idea of romanticism in a post-personal depression era. CLICK ON 'BandPage'