Indie dream-pop lovers, allow us to introduce you to your new favorite band: meet Marathon, a five-piece from Lebanon, PA that’s catching ears with their genre-bending tunes. The best part about Marathon? They just released their debut self-titled LP here for exactly $0! And really, who can say no to that?!
“Marathon” kicks off with the hurried yet relaxed “Off White,” drawing clear influence from bands like The Neighbourhood and Maudlin Strangers. Next up is the riff-tastic “Of Bloom,” which highlights Marathon’s musicianship that very few can successfully demonstrate. “Shine” and “Sea Of Leaves” take a step back from the heavy guitars, before fading into the masterful “Roomfull Of Clocks.” “Roomfull Of Clocks” is incredible, with dual frontmen Zach and Erich Wagner’s voices dreamily floating above fantastically layered instrumentals. “Bath” and “Symboline” are delicious contradictions to one another, with “Bath” being slighly spanish-sounding and “Symboline” channeling the lovechild of Muse and Coldplay. “Mountaineering” reminds listeners of a more complex Moon Taxi, the multi-dimensional track once again highlighting Marathon’s vocals, with the frontmen crooning, “Don’t you feel the cold breeze? / Sleeping like you’re dead in this heat…” “Chapel” is next, starting off with a sharp piano that continues throughout, distracting a bit from the vocals, which is definitely different from Marathon’s previous tracks, and fades into the transition track, “Hall.” The album wraps up with “Ghosts Of Ours,” which showcases a rougher vocal distortion blended with punk-esque guitars interestingly paired together with complex drums that are just faded enough to keep the beat. Overall, a stellar debut from a hugely talented band. Watch out for these guys this year, they’re going places!
