20 October 2023 - 0 Comments

It hasn’t been long since Marmalade’s debut single Bright entered its existence but they are already buzzing to announce the release of their second single Awkward.

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Revealing a new side to the Marmalade sound, this one is a lot more punk. With a slightly sassy delivery, Awkward navigates the morning-after regret of a situation your extroverted self got you into.

“The story behind the song is presented in an edgy and sort of self-aware way but underneath it all it’s really about being unsure, insecure and slightly nervous around someone you’ve just realised you don’t like as much as you thought you would. The same way we often fake confidence in these situations, the punchy and forward instrumentation of this song and the humorous tone of the lyrics is intended to represent the way we like to mask our discomfort with humour.” - Jemilah

Backed by instrumentation with a Paramore-like influence, fast-paced drum fills and chugging rhythm guitars fill out the wall of sound that supports the song from start to finish.

Jemilah and Koen share the lead on this song, the different perspectives of two people finding themselves in an awkward situation. It’s a taste of something different from Marmalade but gives an indication of the wide palate of flavours you can expect from them in the future.

“Sometimes you realise midway through an interaction that you actually really don’t connect with someone and just want to be alone. Awkward is about figuring out how to convey that to someone kindly when you really just want to say “you are not what I was expecting”. I feel like we’ve all been in situations before where you convince yourself that it's going to work or even felt like it’s your fault that it isn't, when it really just comes down to incompatibility.” - Koen

Marmalade is made up of Jemilah Ross-Hayes (lead vocals), Koen Aldershof (rhythm guitar & lead vocals), Liam Nuttall (lead guitar & BV’s), Chelsea Naepi (bass & BV’s) and Dean Rodrigues (drums).

Similarly to their first single Bright, The band recorded most of the parts for Awkward in Koen’s home studio, with the exception of the drums which were engineered by Tom Broome (Tami Neilson, TEEKS, Mice on Stilts) at his Kdrums studio.

Awkward was then mixed by Luan Meaker (Lévyne, MACEY, Muroki) and mastered by Chris Chetland (KOG Studios, Troy Kingi, Drax Project).

To celebrate the release of their debut single in conjunction with the changing seasons, Marmalade are heading on a three-stop spring tour. Kicking off at Joel Little’s new venue Big Fan in Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland last night, Marmalade are now heading to Ahipao on Waiheke Island on November 3 (all ages) before their final stop at Moon in Te Whanganui-a-Tara, Wellington on November 17.

“This is a band with a big future.” - Backseat Mafia

“An excellent debut, with more tunes to come, Marmalade are already making a name for themselves in our great Aotearoa and beyond." - Muzic.net.nz

“It’s easy to get excited about what’s ahead." - Newzician Magazine

“Tāmaki Makaurau quintet Marmalade remarkably went from small shows straight into supporting international acts without having released a single song – just based on a reputation as a great live band” - NZ Musician Magazine

Despite being a fresh new band, Marmalade have already played support for a number of notable acts including Hot Potato Band (AUS), 10:32 (UK), and Beach Bunny (US).

“People who hadn't heard of us before these opening slots were coming up to us and saying things that made us smile so much our cheeks hurt. Unbelievably nice feedback like that we are the best opening act they’ve ever seen and that we should release our music ASAP. It really ignites that fire to just get things out there even though that is exactly what we’ve been planning.” - Jemilah

With their debut EP on the horizon, Marmalade are bound to make your winter cosy, and summer even sunnier.

Photo Credit: Flora Driessen

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