Andrue Mars
a n d r u e m a r s
PRESS
”the pit” – zonenights
”the pit” – extravafrench
”Under its air of nocturnal cocoon, "the pit" opens a breach in the universe of andrue mars. First extract from his future album, the song mixes desire, vulnerability and inner vertigo in a production entirely shaped by the artist.
We enter "the pit" as in a room whose light would have been deliberately dimmed.
Synthesizers float at skin height, distorted guitars blur the contours and the beat advances with a nonchalance that poorly masks the tension. Everything seems sweet, almost welcoming, but this sweetness has an unstable background. At andrue mars, comfort is never very far from the precipice.
The title already announces the contradiction. A "pit" can be a pit, a hole, a place where you fall or from which you struggle to get out. However, the piece not only gives the impression of confinement. It also looks like a space subtracted from the external gaze, a place deep enough for the artist to finally reveal what he kept at a distance.
This duality gives the single its strength. "the pit" is sensual without becoming smooth, romantic without idealizing intimacy, melancholic without abandoning to complaint. The emotions are superimposed like the voices of andrue mars, multiplied in the mix until they form an almost unreal presence. Some seem close to the ear, others dissolve in the background, like thoughts impossible to silence.
Fully autonomous production directly contributes to this feeling of proximity. Singer, author, musician, producer and creator of his own visual universe, andrue mars controls every detail. However, this solo operation does not produce music closed in on itself. On the contrary, it allows him to preserve roughness, hesitations and strange choices that might have been corrected in a more conventional setting.
Saturated guitars bring a rock tension to a material largely built around chamber pop and independent R&B. They do not explode to impose a spectacular refrain; they rather spread as a deaf threat, thickening the atmosphere without breaking its balance. The song thus advances in an area close to MorMor or Blood Orange, where groove, desire and anxiety can share the same space.
The song of andrue mars plays with this ambiguity. His timbre retains an airy quality, almost angelic, but the vocal stacking prevents him from appearing innocent. Each layer seems to reveal a different version of the same narrator: the one who seduces, the one who protects himself, the one who doubts and the one who already observes his own fall.
This construction makes the piece particularly physical. "the pit" not only describes a mental state; it makes you feel it. The bass gives weight to the descent, the blurred textures reduce visibility and the harmonies prevent the whole from becoming completely hostile. We stay because the place seems dangerous, but strangely familiar.
The single marks a new milestone after several self-produced independent releases. Until now, andrue mars had already affirmed his ability to circulate between dance-pop, indie R&B and alternative songwriting. However, "the pit" seems less concerned about seducing immediately. He accepts more the disorder, the silence between the elements and the slowness necessary to install his climate.
This evolution is suitable for a first album preview. Rather than summarizing everything that will come, the piece acts as a side entrance into the artist's psyche. He does not provide a complete explanation, but indicates that the upcoming project will probably go further than the simple succession of "funky bangers" humorously claimed by andrue mars.
His influences remain perceptible without taking control. Steve Lacy appears in manufacturing independence and trust in home tools. Omar Apollo or Remi Wolf resonate in pop freedom, while Amy Winehouse, Hiatus Kaiyote and Ari Lennox are guessed in the attention paid to phrasing, groove and emotional nuances.
Andrue Mars, however, assembles these references from a very personal position: that of a queer artist who refuses to separate style, music and identity. His sensuality is not added to the piece as a visual argument. She goes through production, singing and this way of making intimacy both attractive and slightly disturbing.
The generational context also emerges behind this music. Mars speaks of a generation that grows up in the midst of the collapse of an increasingly brutal economic and political system. "the pit" does not directly formulate a manifesto, but its need for refuge, truth and self-reappropriation can also be read through this climate.
Creating a cocoon then becomes less a gesture of withdrawal than a survival strategy. Sometimes you have to go below the surface, cut off the noise and build an inner territory before you can come back to face what is happening outside.
"The pit" succeeds precisely because he never decides whether this space is protective or dangerous. Maybe it's both. Perhaps we must accept to fall a little to recognize what we were trying to avoid.
Andrue Mars thus inaugurates his new chapter without much speech. He dims the light, opens the hatch and lets us choose: stay on the edge or go down with him.”
Andrue Mars (andruemars) is a singer, songwriter, musician, producer, artist, and stylist from California, currently based in Boise, Idaho. Melding genres to channel different moods of a generation rising during the fall of fascist capitalism, Mars’ music is a swift kick to the face that leaves an impression with a kiss and a wink. With the success of early single “sunset blvd.” Andrue has proven he is ready to take the world by storm with his signature blend of dance pop and soulful indie R&B.
“I just want to make funky bangers you can bop, vibe and jive with. Mainly I just want to do my passion and have fun in the process, hopefully people who listen to my music do too.” - andruemars
Citing Steve Lacy as a hero (in part for winning a Grammy from a song he produced on his iPhone in GarageBand as a teenager, the topic of a now famous TED Talk by Lacy) andruemars is a completely self-produced artist who has been making music since his teens, now doing everything himself in Logic Pro and also making his own artwork. According to Andrue, some of his musical inspiration comes from jazz legend Amy Whinehouse, neo-soul artists Hiatus Kaiyote and Ari Lennox, as well as indie pop musicians like Omar Apollo and Remi Wolf.
Traces of new-wave and post-punk also appear in Andrue’s alchemical brew, with some tracks digging deep like MorMor, others can feel breezy and light, like the funky Jamiroquai-flavored “big fish” or the playful dancefloor jams “TOO LATE” and “2.4ever.” The beautiful element linking all this diverse music is Andrue’s immaculate taste, guitar, synths, and smooth as silk voice, as he effortlessly switching tones, octaves, and registers to create a cocoon of comfort riding the waves of aural bliss his music delivers to listeners.
With more singles on the way following his “take it or leave it EP” – Mars is prepping his first full-length album. Don’t miss your chance to support an artist before they become a worldwide household name, because make no mistake, andruemars is shooting for the moon; and he’s already among the stars.
artwork by Danielle = @daniellemittenart
