MUSIC MONDAYS: Moody Garland (aka Justin Marin)

Date and Debate Podcast

Moody Garland is the stage name of guitarist, singer, and songwriter Justin Marin. Emotional Labor is his first EP released in March 2020. Though this is Moody Garland’s debut, its creator has played lead guitar in a number of bands - most recently MAH KEE OH. Emotional Labor, Marin’s first compilation as a solo-artist, was recorded and produced in Denton, Texas.

Denton has been the incubator of a number of successful artists including Midlake, Neon Indian, and Norah Jones. The city’s heartbeat is made up of the late night music diaspora of avant-garde bands meeting in gutted homes playing into the early morning hours. Emotional Labor is the album to drive home to after a late night in such a place.

Marin’s stint in Denton was with the intention of playing with as many people as possible. This has helped challenge his style and refine his skills as a songwriting. As a lead guitarist, his forte was not in showmanship, but rather in composing effortless off-the-cuff riffs that made songs a lot more human - full of emotion, full of tact - and a lot more memorable.

He continues to do that with Moody Garland. Marin cultivates a garden of complimentary but independent melodies on a variety of instruments giving each song rich texture. They are the kind of songs that will entertain long past their due-dates with “new” intricacies discovered over and over again. With its theme of indie-ballads and angelic harmony, Emotional Labor is particularly buzz-inducing, easy to sing along to, and hard to forget.
TRACK 1: Boom
TRACK 2: Supposed to Be
TRACK 3: Emotional Labor
TRACK 4: Never Gonna Wait
You can follow him on IG @moodygarland_
You can download his EP here!

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