The Band Explains: Marsicans - 'Can I Stay Here Forever (pt. II)'
Well they are back! And Marsicans certain hit the spot with their first track of 2020 - ‘Can I Stay Here Forever (pt II)’ - their hardest hitting song to date. The band’s bassist/vocalist Rob Brander took a moment to talk to us about the track, their plans for SXSW and what the next few months hold in store for Marsicans.
You're back! It feels like it’s been ages since we got some new music off you. What have you been up to?
We are! Oh you know, the usual: playing festivals, touring, but most importantly recording our debut album in the middle of Welsh nowhere.
The new track is called ‘Can I Stay Here Forever (pt.II)’. Can you explain to us what it is about?
The song is about the seemingly increasing divide between people, whether it’s generational or political, and trying to make sense of that to the point where you’ve literally got nothing left. There’s a lot of shouting at the moment and very little in the way of listening or trying to be understanding.
Is it another Brexit song? How does it differ from other ‘political songs’ musicians are doing at the moment?
Brexit has certainly influenced the song but we didn’t want it to come across as overtly political, and it doesn’t necessarily take sides. It’s more of an attempt to point out a flawed way of presenting your argument rather than criticsing an argument in itself.
We might as well ask… Part 2? What happened to Part 1?
It was recorded many moons ago and never saw the light of day. We did stick it on the other day at the Part 2 video shoot and all really enjoyed listening. Maybe it will come out of the vault one day.
2019 was a mental year for you, it saw you headline the BBC Introducing stage at Reading and Leeds Festival, and some amazing support slots for the band. What were your highlights? And how are you going to top that in 2020?
It certainly was! The festival run was amazing and we love touring but a lot of our highlights happened behind the scenes. The time we spent at Rockfield Studios recording the album was really special, and we’ll remember it fondly, forever. It was sunny, we had a brilliant engineer, a producer who is also a dear friend, lots of cheap wine and some good laughs. We even managed to squeeze in some recording.
You are heading off to SXSW this year, how many shows are you playing? Are you going to get hyped up on Kool Aid before you play?
We don’t know exactly how many shows we’re playing just yet but we know that it’s a lot. There will be lots of Kool Aid and probably some cowboy boots.
Now this single is out there, what next? When will we hear this debut album finally?
There will be LOADS of music from the record coming at ya over the next few months. Honestly, you’ll be absolutely sick of us, and then the album will drop and there will be loads more. Sorry about that.