Maverick Persona - 2024 - In the Name of

(46:22; NOS Records / Marracult)

Track list:
1. Complete the Task 6:10
2. Somewhere We Have Landed 4:05
3. Underworld Conspiracy 4:55
4. In the Name of 6:34
5. Bite for Freedom 5:16
6. Is It Really All Over? 3:22
7. Sirashka 0:52
8. Where Are You 4:22
9. Try to Get the Sun 3:45
10. Dreaming Laurel Canyon 2:32
11. Turn on the Good Music, Louder! 4:29

Line-up:
Deje - sounds, vocals
Amerigo Verardi - vocals, sounds


Italian duo Maverick Persona started out towards the end of 2023 from what I can see, and the twosome released their debut album just a few months later in the spring of 2024. This appears to be a productive as well as creative partnership, and now in the late fall of 2024 they are back with their second album "In the Name of", which was released through the labels NOS Records and MarraCult.

This is a venture that appears to defy most of the style and genre conventions we tend to use when describing music. Not that different style descriptions can't be used here, but it is rather a case of the music being diverse and combining facets, aspects and traditions in manners that are on the unusual side of matters.

Songs with a synth pop and new wave vibe are present, but here flavored with more or less subtle cosmic sounds as well as what may or may not be a nod in the direction of the futuristic analogue synthesizer sounds of early days Gary Numan. A little bit of indie pop appear here and there, but also present in the same song may be aspects of dream pop as well as industrial electronic music. Ambient escapades and dream pop flavored details are present too, but much the same is the case with jazz, fusion and jazzrock. With one song in particular giving me the impression of a distinctly 70 inspired take on the jazzrock tradition with trace elements of disco present but given a bit of a contemporary electronic makeover. While another song again, at least on some level, gives me associations towards The Beatles for a couple of the phases in that particular song.

In some manner one might say that this is a duo that incorporate the adventurous approach many artists made use of back in the 1970s, by taking on and incorporating elements from a myriad of different styles without any thought on what fits or not, and makes the end result a cohesive and intriguing experience even when mixing and blending elements that don't always come across as ones that would make a good combination. Using creativity and electronic effects of different kinds to tie everything together into a unified whole.

While the songs here by and large fall in under the pop music umbrella, with a few more expressive exceptions, this isn't easy to listen to pop music in the core tradition of that music form. These are expanded and developed landscapes, making use of pop music foundations and dynamics in a more creative and adventurous manner. Arguably with a bit of a progressive spirit to the approach as well as execution. With various aspects of cosmic and futuristic sounds as an outright or a more subtle component supplying the often fairly different sounding landscapes with a bit of a unifying and identity shaping recurring element.

Those who enjoy well developed and sophisticated pop music with a distinct electronic edge and cosmic and futuristic sensibilities should feel right at home with this album I suspect. Especially those among that audience that don't mind a little bit of a progressive spirit being a little bit of a defining factor to make use of when trying to describe the landscapes explored.

Olav M. Björnsen, November 2024

Links:
https://www.facebook.com/maverickpersonamusic/
https://www.facebook.com/produtoranosrecords.ofc