Album Review: On The Romance of Being by Desire Marea
South African artist Desire Marea creates an otherworldly beauty on this spiritually charged sophomore album.
Queer South African artist Desire Marea got his start in the rap duo FAKA. back in 2016. The group released two projects (the more experimental Bottom’s Revenge EP and the electronic-inspired Amaqhawe EP) in Zulu. My first taste of his sound came from the radiant beauty of his latest solo release, On The Romance of Being. The warmth and freedom from this record were spawned from Desire’s training to become a Sangoma (a traditional Nguni spiritual healer).
In an interview on the subject, he elaborated more on how this feeds into his mindset and live treatment for this record:
“In my work as a sangoma, ancient songs and drumming sequences are used to invoke spirits who live in me so I enter into a trance state. In my work as a musician, I heal people using music. It’s a different kind of medicine but one in which I often have to channel different spirits, different truths and the essence of light… My ancestors gave me an instruction to record this with a live band. The reasoning? It was a way to ensure that the music carried the soul. We were all united in the most intimate parts of our consciousness. The music made us one.”
Its live nature allows for some truly otherworldly experiences.
The album opens with the ever-evolving track “Ezulwini” (or “In Heaven”). Marea repeats the mantra “I want to see you levitate” as it slowly blossoms into an ocean of sound. The horns envelop the entire song in the golden glow of the rising sun. Seeing that this project is infused with Desire’s own spiritual awakening, it feels like a call out to the listener to lose themselves in the soundscape they have populated this piece with. The rock-driven guitar work injects the song with bright energy toward the end.
We get a more aggressive rock-oriented sound on the second track, “Be Free”. Marea told Beats Per Minute that they wanted to write on the oppression queer men face from the hypermasculine landscape of South Africa:
“One of my heroes, Marlon Riggs, said ‘Black men loving black men is THE revolutionary act’. Be Free is a love story about two black men loving each other through the crisis of masculinity. It’s set in South Africa’s hypermasculine world of taxi gangs, one of the many places where gay men exist often under a layer of oppression that’s in addition to the homophobic violence of the world at large. It was important for me to tell this story because love, even under such conditions, is always a story worth telling. And freedom is always something worth fighting for.”
They bring an almost metal energy to some of the vocal performances here. It’s a challenge to those who choose to be on the down low to open up to who they truly are, “I tried to love you babe/ You don’t want to be free/ Addicted to all your pain/ You stay bound to the streets/ I find it very lame/ That you fear yourself/ You live to lose yourself.” It speaks to toxic heteronormative masculinity that fears and attacks male/male relationships and any form of femininity. It’s a very powerful statement, especially when the Zulu section comes in.
Marea mixes English and Zulu lines on “Makhukhu” (or “Hooks”). They create an earthen rainbow of sound that cocoons them throughout the track. Desire’s words speak to the spiritual connection needed when we make love. You hear them calling to their lover to transcend beyond just physical intimacy alone, “It’s oh so quizzical/ Perplexing perhaps/ All the depth you lack/ When we get physical/ Failing to meet me there/ Where mountains pierce the clouds/ To quench on Evian/ You have to brave the alps/ It’s not about coming/ As much as its getting there.” The mixture of African and Western tones melts into this trance-like state that beckons you to move to a high state of being.
The most sensual song on this project is “Mfula” (or “River”). We open with a punk energy as the drums rumble and the guitar attacks. Marea asks their partner to dig deeper into his inner self, past his defenses, to find his true self. The song epps into a heavenly tone after the tribal bridge. The drums give us momentum under the blush-pink hum of synths and strings as they sing about the joy they derive from pleasing their partner, “It’s so hard to resist/ I get into a frenzy as soon as you command me/ To lick you and please you/ To drink you and eat you/ Dip my finger into/ Your cave pink like crystals.” This duality of this river (emotional and sexual) comes forth beautifully in this song.
“Arrival” brings back a sense of tension through its opening synths and backing chants. I love how this track ebbs in and out of full instrumentation and into quiet moments of vocals. I love the theatrical aspects this gives the song. Desire aches over the incompatibility of them and their lover. They seek the opportunity to give their lover time in hopes they can learn their love language, “You ignore that I love you (you ignore that I love you)/ Tried my hardest to show you (tried my hardest to show you)/ Incongruent (love language, the death of me)/ (See) if I grant you solitude/ And the license to do you I can learn a new love language just for you.”
“Rah” is one of the most breathtaking songs on this project. South African jazz artist Zoë Modiga gives a truly spectacular performance throughout the track. Marea coats the song in the rich, dark red, orange, and brown hues as their vocals bend and epp against the wash of strings and synths.
The song is a mournful piece about the destruction of our planet, something they have discussed in this interview piece:
“Rah is a song lamenting the decay of the earth and the anxiety of existing in it, with it, and as it. Is self-cannibalisation just the order of nature? Is it part of the healing? Is there renewal on the other side of disaster? Still, we beg for repentance.”
The 9-minute song builds with a palpable tension brought on by the sorrowing backing vocals, horns, and drums. Sung entirely in Zulu, the song’s translation shows the power of this pained look at our even worsening global situation, “Mother is wounded/ And the long awaited day will soon come/ All the nations, all the people/ Feed on her wounds like a grumble of maggots.” It’s impeccably written and performed. You don’t need to speak Zulu to feel the sullen tone of Desire and Zoë. I highly recommend you check out the English lyrics in the YouTube video’s description to grasp this song's full impact.
“Skhathi” (or “Time”) brings in a smoother sound as a menagerie of keys, organs, strings, and choir weave together into a quilt of lusciously evocative sound. Again, the track is sung entirely in Zulu. The calm vibe of this song highlights his promise to honor the short time we all have together and keep alive their memory once they are gone, “I will never forget your laugh/ Let the one who cries be happy…It sings of comfort/ We have been given a little time.” Their compassion and appreciation for their loved ones comes off beautifully against this sonic backdrop.
We close the record with the longest track (coming in at over nine and a half minutes), “Banzi” or (“They Are Wide”). The horns add unique textures against the softer strings and backing vocals. The blend of African and experimental jazz elements feels like being enlightened. The song seems to seek a spiritual connection to one’s past relatives and, in many ways, mirrors Desire’s own journey to become a Sangoma. It absolutely explodes into its most frenzied and chaotic peak as the vocals screech and horns dance. I admire the experimental work Desire does here, as it feels like something between baptism and exorcism.
I am so glad that I have discovered the brilliant work of Desire Marea. Seeing queer advocates worldwide express themselves so beautifully and powerfully is fantastic. I was completely blown away by how vivid this album comes off. Sonically, you can almost close your eyes and feel like you are in the emotional landscapes they have created in close track. I think “Rah” is a masterpiece off of this record. The gut-wrenching pain you feel from this piece is unlike many songs I have heard before. I highly recommend you listen to this album from front to back to experience it wholly. I think lovers of experimental pop, world-music, jazz, and alternative music will thoroughly enjoy what Marea has created here.
My overall breakdown of On the Romance of Being:
Loved it: “Be Free,,” “Makhukhu,” Mfula,” “Rah” (feat. Zoë Modiga), “Arrival.”
Liked it: “Ezulwini,” Skhathi” & “Banzi.”
Disliked it: None
My overall rating: 8.0 out of 10.
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