Zachary Mason’s “The Funky Martians” is an interstellar jam session that lands on Earth in a groove. The track is a bombastic, preposterous, and absolutely irresistible taste of his upcoming EP, “5…4…3…2…1…” Buckle up; this is no ordinary liftoff.
This is a track that warps genres the way that gravity warps space-time. Jovuna Mason offers a playful mix of space rock, psychedelic textures, and experimental flair that reframes your typical rock story into something quite fantastical. The concept is a human colony lands on Mars, where it is accosted by nasty Martians until a funky beat comes to the rescue. It’s the sort of tongue-in-cheek sci-fi storytelling that comes across fresh and audacious, wrapped in fuzzed-out guitars and angular rhythms that glisten like stardust.
Its musical bona fides are born of serious muscle. Laid down by the highly touted Rose Hill Drive’s Nate Barnes, the drums provide a natural and swaying thump that keeps the song rooted in its rhythmic disorder amid its cosmic calamity. In the meantime, a deep, funky undercurrent provided by Little Big Town bassist John Thomasson quite literally talks to the Martians.
The greater charm, however, lies in Mason’s ability to place craftsmanship as a counterpoint to craziness. “The Funky Martians” is a joyride of wonderlust, compiled with tight production, dynamic storytelling, and a refreshing lack of self-seriousness. The song is an invitation to lie back and crack a smile, and not take things too seriously. It reminds us that sometimes, the best way to make peace with aliens or anyone else is just to let all that funk sizzle.
Serving as an introductory glimpse into “5…4…3…2…1…,” “The Funky Martians” instills the mood of an EP that promises sound treatments as well as out-of-this-world fun. Zachary Mason is obviously not afraid of experimentation and, more importantly, he definitely knows how to pull it off. In a musical universe overrun with the familiar and the formulaic, “The Funky Martians” is a welcome reminder that rock can still be gloriously out-there, weird, wild, wildly unexpected.
Connect with Zachary Mason on Instagram – @zacharymasonsmusic
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