Projecting a vision unlike anything else in the game, bold, brash, and buzzing artist and producer Note Marcato uncovers his debut single “Blackheart 39” today. Get it HERE via Epic Records.
Over the echoes of a skittering beat, Note Marcato vaults from bouncy verses into a fluttering, yet fiery refrain on the self-produced track. Meanwhile, the avant-garde music video illuminates an indescribable and indefinable character, with a story that Marcato wrote himself. It all forgoes asking listeners to raise their hands and instead demands they lift the mask covering societal insecurities.
About the visual, he told The FADER, “this video demands listeners to lift the mask covering societal insecurities and use those insecurities to evolve into a more authentic version of themselves. The symbolic meaning behind the Blackheart represents not losing yourself, amongst the masks. Reminding people that they are not heartless.”
Most importantly, “Blackheart 39” heralds the arrival of his forthcoming first project BeachBum Limbo —coming soon. Executive produced by BL$$D, the project features production by G Koop (Rihanna, Migos) and Soundz (Justin Bieber, Chris Brown), with guest vocals from Anatti, Nelson Mandela’s grandson, among others. Ten of the tracks were produced by Note Marcato himself. You can hear the angst and love within the lyrics as much as the meticulousness the young artist put into each track’s mix. So that the listeners can experience the same energy the 6’4” comet channeled to birth his EP, each song plays chronologically to when it was recorded.
His face and sound will be long remembered.
Whether introduced to Note Marcato in-person or through his music, there are two characteristics that will remain impressed upon you: the wattage and amorphousness of his star power. The 19-year-old producer and songwriter takes zero form. There isn’t a box that fits him, nor a space he can’t imbue. The only borders associated with the New York University Clive Davis Institute pupil is his professional moniker. Note Marcato is an Italian representation of the 3-4 music note, which is intended to be played the loudest. Marcato’s sound doesn’t prioritize volume as much as it does an exponentially higher standard. The evidence lives on his Epic Records debut EP, BeachBum Limbo, a project not for the times, but of and for many eras, some of which haven’t arrived yet. Note Marcato is a gift from Later.
Creating 15 songs in 10 transformative days, 13 of which became the chronological masterpiece, which we will come to know as BeachBum Limbo – its title, the inspiration of a precarious period in his life.
That Note Marcato’s debut was inspired by blue skies and warm tides makes perfect sense. BeachBum Limbo is an oceanic body of sonic that offers waves of colorful vibes and emotions. It possesses an urgency that belies the age of its author. “I make music as if I’m trying to save the world,” says Note Marcato. His creative intention explains why his singular sound belongs to no particular region yet manages to represent the globe. His modus operandi: Break the rules and create tomorrow.
“Normally your Marcato is the climax of a song or parts of it,” he says. “So I wanted to try and make an entire album where every song is Marcato.”