If you know anything about me, you should know that the West Coast music scene is one of my favorite musical hubs in the world, and I never fail to be impressed with the incredible artists coming out of California. At the same time, there is never any shortage of talent either, and I find myself hearing about new up-and-coming artists constantly in one way or another. Now that I have a few friends out there to clue me in on the latest and greatest talents within the scene there, I have expanded my knowledge and interest in this part of the US immensely, and I couldn’t be more grateful.
Most recently, I was put onto San Diego’s very own Lil Maru, an artist who is taking classic sounds that have put this part of the country on the sonic map with his own spin, providing us with a breath of fresh air that rejuvenates California music for all listeners, and I’m so appreciative to have him on my radar now. As the song begins, we hear some wavy sounds that are eventually joined by some classic, West Coast synths for an amazing melody that is only elevated by chattering percussion and relaxing, tempo-setting drums that give Maru the chance to take this track in whichever direction he pleases.
When he begins to sing, his naturally higher-pitched vocals come through effortlessly and relaxed as he never really changes his demeanor, rather remaining steady smooth as he makes his way throughout this record. His voice sounds almost as if it has an echo to it, and it even sounds somewhat distant as if he’s singing from across the room into the microphone, and while this might sound like a weird description, it adds some individuality and character to his sound, coming together for a musical style that is out of this world.
Beyond this, he doesn’t really change up his flows or deliveries very much throughout the song, but considering how collected and confident his lines are, he doesn’t have to show off too much versatility to keep you enthralled throughout this entire track. Lil Maru is clearly making waves in the music industry right now, and while I couldn’t be more excited to see what’s next from the West Coast phenom, “On the Block” is the perfect place to start familiarizing yourself with him. So, make sure you tune into this incredible record as well as the Milshotz-directed music video as soon as you find some time.