The fourth studio album from electronic musician Chris Stewart's Black Marble project — titled Fast Idol — will officially be released on October 22 via Sacred Bones. Alongside the announcement, he has shared the record's first single "Somewhere" with a visual accompaniment directed by Theo Sixou.
Of the track, Stewart said in a statement:
"Somewhere" describes a place just out of reach that serves as a diversion and takes focus away from the ambiguities of daily life. It represents a place of disinhibition where — if it could only be remembered or found — the people we aim to be could, for a moment, be fully realized. Although its dream-like clarity and feeling of connection may seem like an empty promise, it serves as an aspirational reminder for what might be.
A product of the early-2000s New York synth scene, Black Marble's cold-wave stylings follow in the tradition of synth-wave provocateurs Modern Art and Martin Dupont. Stewart's DIY spirit and nostalgic sensibilities channel sonic reference points like Futurisk and the Membranes.
Now based in L.A., the musician has twisted a knob on his time-travels, adding a sun-soaked quality while returning to the intuitive impressionism of early Black Marble material.
"People don't expect me to be responsible for altering their outlook or mood, they come to hear something that meets them where they are," Stewart said of Fast Idol. "I trusted on this record that if I stayed in that space and created things from that more mysterious place, it would connect with others."
He added: "I want my music to stick with you after I leave, even though you might not feel like you're any closer to knowing it."
Fast Idol will follow Black Marble's 2019 LP Bigger Than Life and his 2020 covers EP, I Must Be Living Twice.
See the video for "Somewhere" below, along with the tracklisting for the album.
Fast Idol:
1. Somewhere
2. Bodies
3. Royal Walls
4. Try
5. The Garden
6. Say It First
7. Streetlight
8. Ceiling
9. Ship to Shore
10. Preoccupation
11. Brighter and Bigger
Pre-order Fast Idol
Of the track, Stewart said in a statement:
"Somewhere" describes a place just out of reach that serves as a diversion and takes focus away from the ambiguities of daily life. It represents a place of disinhibition where — if it could only be remembered or found — the people we aim to be could, for a moment, be fully realized. Although its dream-like clarity and feeling of connection may seem like an empty promise, it serves as an aspirational reminder for what might be.
A product of the early-2000s New York synth scene, Black Marble's cold-wave stylings follow in the tradition of synth-wave provocateurs Modern Art and Martin Dupont. Stewart's DIY spirit and nostalgic sensibilities channel sonic reference points like Futurisk and the Membranes.
Now based in L.A., the musician has twisted a knob on his time-travels, adding a sun-soaked quality while returning to the intuitive impressionism of early Black Marble material.
"People don't expect me to be responsible for altering their outlook or mood, they come to hear something that meets them where they are," Stewart said of Fast Idol. "I trusted on this record that if I stayed in that space and created things from that more mysterious place, it would connect with others."
He added: "I want my music to stick with you after I leave, even though you might not feel like you're any closer to knowing it."
Fast Idol will follow Black Marble's 2019 LP Bigger Than Life and his 2020 covers EP, I Must Be Living Twice.
See the video for "Somewhere" below, along with the tracklisting for the album.
Fast Idol:
1. Somewhere
2. Bodies
3. Royal Walls
4. Try
5. The Garden
6. Say It First
7. Streetlight
8. Ceiling
9. Ship to Shore
10. Preoccupation
11. Brighter and Bigger
Pre-order Fast Idol
