Portland is one of the best places I’ve ever visited in my entire life. If you’ve ever been to Portland or taken a gander on the internet about it, you’d know that the place breeds a whole different sort of culture that is unrivalled by any other in the world. There’s an air around the place which makes everyone in the city so different and distinct from one another.
First of all they’ve had a 24 hours doughtnut place way before Doughnut Time became a craze in Australia. Aside from that, the place bred two of my personal favourite bands, The Dandy Warhols and Guantanamo Baywatch. Portland is just such an exotic place, each innovation that comes out of there never ceases to amaze me. My favourite bit is their unofficial motto, Keep Portland Weird. It’s because of places like this that we’re able to witness the emergence of this next artist, Mattress.
Neon-tinged and dirty as hell, Portland’s Mattress makes a massive statement with Fuck The Future – loosen up and get into it.
Mattress is your post-apocalyptic, post-punk, Vegas lounge. A hybrid of synth pathos and soul shouting, Mattress is the solo project crafted through struggle and heavy thoughts swirling in the mind of Rex Marshall. Grabbing the attention of Modest Mouse frontman Isaac Brock in late 2014, Marshall’s upcoming full-length record, which is due out this year was recorded at Brock’s Ice Cream Party studio in Portland.
Today, we have the pleasure of giving a first glimpse into Mattress with Fuck The Future. Mattress is not easy listening, but it tells you what you need to hear. Presenting a bizarre arrangement of industrial synths and drum machines, there’s an aching voice behind the music that croons about survival, lost dreams, and pains. This song sends one simple message that, sometimes you just have to not give a fuck about making the right choices and do whatever that comes to your mind, whatever feels right to you.
While the melody of the song doesn’t sound overtly compelling, there’s still an intriguing quality to it that demonstrates a correlation to the storyline of the song. It feels as though he is expressing the unknowns and fear of the unknowns in life though the unsettling melody of the song. We’re afraid to step out of our comfort zone because we don’t know what lies ahead. It might be terrifying or possibly soul crippling, but we must say fuck it in order to acquire new experiences and go through self-discovery.
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Rex spent his formative years as a child, growing up in Las Vegas, raised by parents who worked, at times, as card dealers and costume seamstresses. Clearly this has had a significant influence in Mattress’ lounge and battered glam aesthetic. Marshall brings a little glitz and glam to an industrial sound through the inflections he has created with his vocals. His voice is the beacon that draws you deeper into the meaning behind the song. From his exaggerated delivery of the lyrics, his intonation behind each word, to his deeply inspired growls, Marshall has created a slightly dirty, raunchy, and dangerous feel to the song that makes you want to play with fire.
When asked for a statement about his new single, Marshall offered the following: “You know, maybe the sun won’t come up tomorrow. Let’s say that’s the case. This is it. Let’s make a great mess while we can my friends.”
Fuck The Future will be released on May 13th via Brock’s Glacial Pace Recordings, his forthcoming full-length will be released July 15th. And For now, there’s nothing to worry about cause we’ve got you covered. You can make a mess on our website, no judgement.
