For a few years now, the multi-faceted and highly regarded artist Mac DeMarco has been wearing the same hat with the same yellow square on it. This yellow square represents Mac’s Record Label, a start-up of DeMarco that was primarily used to release his own work, along with select releases from artists like Vicky Farewell and Tex Crick. Today (April 6), the artist-friendly indie label has announced Daryl Johns as their latest addition to the roster. Johns has worked with the likes of Demarco for years, lingering in the arrangements of some of the most exciting releases in recent years. Along with the new label, Johns releases “Gabriel”, his debut single on Mac’s Record Label.
While “Gabriel” might be our proper introduction to the wildly exciting world of Johns, it is far from the first time you’ve heard him play. He has become the go-to bass player for acts like DeMarco, The Lemon Twigs, and Macy Gray, providing his unique playing style to a plethora of soulful jazz releases. After years of toiling away at the multitude of instruments he’s versed in, Johns is finally ready to step into the spotlight and with the backing of a new label and a fantastic new single, it seems like Johns is on his way to being your new favorite instrumentalist.
Johns’s debut single features complex textures that blend together in a confusing glow in order to display the full range of the artist. With Johns handling everything from the blistering tempos and melodies down to the mixing/mastering of his new single, “Gabriel” feels like the proper introduction to his whirlwind of a playing style. He fuses different eras of jazz together to create a bouncy arrangement that paints a smile on your face and makes the sun feel warmer than ever before. If “Gabriel” is a sign of what is to come between this new partnership of Johns and Mac’s Record Label, the pairing is about to produce some groundbreaking jazz that will put Daryl Johns on a completely new level of music.
Listen to “Gabriel” below:
