mer marcum “Junkyard Dog” Single Review
Written by Esosa Zuwa
Based in Brooklyn, Meredith Marcum, known as Mer Marcum, has carved herself a place with evocative lyrics and experimental production. ‘Junkyard Dog’ is best described as a neo-folk indie song, employing experimental sound and introspective lyrics.
The song starts with the sound of dogs barking and the light strum of a guitar, putting us in a dreamy trance when the melody is played. Her voice stretches louder over the soft overlay of the guitar track, with a melodious bass and shoegaze drum beat underscoring it. It sounds like an urgent message. The song also employs something like a foley sound, placing us into a real tangible version of a reminiscence while employing that dreamlike sound.
‘Junkyard Dog’ builds upon itself, still quiet but growing louder, almost like a cry, wondering how they got here to this point. It’s a one-sided conversation of someone who still wants closure, even if the other person does not.
‘Somebody made you/me this way,’ Marcum repeats in the song, reinforcing that emphasis on condition. She and the subject will always fall into their old habits again due to the conditions that followed them beforehand. Hand-in-hand with the ethereal vocals that both sound simultaneously haunting, the biggest fear is being the same.
Marcum places us in her mind with this song, confused and wondering. It’s a song, unique in its production, sounding like a melody extracted from a lone cabin in the misty woods. The lyrics, while repeating, tell us a story of needing that closure, which Marcum successfully engages.
Junkyard Dog single cover
