A recent track from Los Angeles-based artist Mark Fain, “Meri Misery” exudes a hauntingly nostalgic psych-rock and folk intertwining, balancing an intriguing daze with more radiant vocal reflections. The songwriter, producer, and composer — who moved from Michigan to LA in 2015, previously performed as Gun Lake — and recenly quit a 14-year animation career in advertising. “Meri Misery” marks Fain’s first single since that career switch, succeeding with a timeless-sounding appeal.
The track was poignantly released in the days leading up to the USA’s presidential election, and contemplates on the gravity of such — “an election where we could either hold onto hope or kick it to the curb,” Fain says. A foreboding sense of running out of time, and failing to learn from past mistakes, provides a more melancholic realism amidst the melodic and approachable production. “I can’t keep up with misery,” the central chorus laments, conveying a sense of insomnia and anxiety as what continues to unfold. “Meri Misery” is an affecting, timely success from Mark Fain.
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This and other tracks featured this month can be streamed on the updating Obscure Sound’s ‘Emerging Singles’ Spotify playlist.
