London-based alternative indie musician James Marriott releases Wake Up!, the eagerly-awaited follow up to 2020’s ‘No Left Brain’ EP.

This single shows Marriott’s evolution as a musician, songwriter and vocalist and brings his career confidently to the next level. Sonically, ‘Wake Up!’ shows a different side to Marriott, with punchy riffs and a catchy chorus. The track combines angsty alt-rock with the indie sound he established in his previous releases.

Speaking of the track, Marriott explains “I originally started writing the track in January this year after the release of ‘No Left Brain’. Having written a lot about a difficult period of my life in 2019, I wanted to redirect a lot of that energy to my current mental state. What resulted was the narration of love in an ongoing identity crisis”

Written by Marriott, he co-produced Wake Up! alongside Finnish producer Holder. The track was then mixed and mastered by Psylla. 

Speaking of the collaboration, Marriott says, “[Holder] has been incredible at helping me translate my writing into these fast-paced nostalgia-inducing indie-rock bangers. We attempted multiple tones guitar-wise.”

Marriott continues, “but the final chorus takes are actually the demo take. We managed to create a really smooth yet crunchy tone layering a chorus-heavy take with a dry, driven one. Plenty of credit must also go to Eeli, our Finnish drummer, who has built such an iconic rhythm in the chorus. And another thank you to Psylla, who has mixed and mastered this track exactly to my tastes.”

Also known for his YouTube career, Marriott launched his music career with debut single Slow Down in 2020, going on to release three-track EP ‘No Left Brain’ later in the year. Taking his time with each release to get all the finishing touches correct, Wake Up! has been well worth the wait.

The video for the single also dropped today. It was filmed at Sandstorm Films in Swindon and produced by RAW Pictures with Marriott largely involved in the editing process, cementing his all-rounder reputation, watch it here. 

Watch the video below:

Or listen here: