Music Review // Chris Mardini "Pockets"

 

On "Pockets", Chris Mardini has managed to find the balance between the darkness and melody.  This is definitely a song which you can bob your head along with and sing, but as soon as you put it on you can just hear how dark the tone of it is as well.  There really isn't another artist out there doing anything like this, but the closest which comes to it is Twenty One Pilots.  That is also an important comparison because along with the way in which this song is presented in a musical way, it is also similar in the aspects which touch upon mental health and your own personal well being.

Musically, this song begins with a bang.  There is singing which turns into almost spoken word and then it gets even faster and this all just happens within the first half of the song.  This creates such an interesting flow to the song because it feels like you're hit with a lot all at once and then the second half of the song you're kind of left to process it as the music slows down and the words become less frequent.  But this song has an overall duality to it, which is what it can feel like when you have the face which you present to the world and that hidden darkness under it with mental health struggles.

There really is a lot to unpack here within the lyrics and some of it is going to be best based upon your own personal experiences perhaps.  Some of my favorite lines and the ones which stand out the most include: "I think I'm hurting myself / I should be looking for help" and "Once I had a dream but I'm finished".  One of the single lines which leads into an entire verse of quotes is: "Why is she looking at me like I got a fucking plan" and in a lot of ways this whole section of lyrics ends with: "We're acting like we good but we got something to hide".  It gives the listener a lot to think about and really brings the subject of mental health to light in such an intelligent way.

The music video for "Pockets" has two main images behind it.  In one scene, Chris Mardini is shown playing the music, singing the words while someone is drumming along and it's that visual which helps you to see how the music is made.   There is another scene where Chris Mardini is inside of a different room, facing himself in the mirror.  Both of these scenes make it seem as if Chris Mardini is in a somewhat small space and trapped, which is how it can feel when dealing with mental health issues.   Everything from this visual to the lyrics to the music itself just tie together so well and it should not only be listened to but it should be studied.