Marsalis promises more upbeat, more aggressive sound on new EP

Coming off their self-titled EP, named by Northwest Music Scene as the No. 1 album of 2016, Marsalis is working away on a new record.

“We’re tracking it as we speak,” says lead singer Dennis Zender. “We’re hoping for a new release in the near future.”

Of the seven or eight songs in production, Zender says, five or six will probably make it on an EP.

“The trend with music today is release less songs (at one time) and focus more on quality,” says bassist Adam Bishop.

Zender describes the new sound as “more upbeat, more aggressive, but still very modern.” The band is keeping with its core influences like Muse, Imagine Dragons, and Coldplay. The EP will be eclectic with different styles fused together. Zender said there will be none of that slow singer/songwriter stuff.

“More energy and more production,” he says.

Bishop says that as artists they want to slowly evolve.

“How can we elevate and move in a direction that goes somewhere without doing something completely different?” Bishop says, rhetorically. “It’s a slow evolution through the growth and change of the music. We want to emulate that—something new, but not a complete change.”

Zender and Bishop say the group is both humbled and appreciative of the support from various podcasts, friends, fans, radio stations, producers and mixers.

While recording its next release, Marsalis is also gearing up for spring and summer music festivals. Bishop hints the band will be featured at a high profile festival this summer, which Marsalis will let fans know about in the near future. Bishop also says fans should look out for new updates to its website and social media outreach.

The buzz is huge for a band that is just getting started.