A lot of people claim punk, metal, and rock artists make the best ballads. YUNGBLUD’s new single, Mars, is a testament to that.

In true unplugged fashion, Mars is nothing but piano and vocal, and it truly needed nothing more to convey its message. Despite only being two elements, YUNGBLUD does an absolutely wonderful job building dynamics from start to finish. It feels very standard for a piano ballad, nothing that’s being done here is exceptionally new, but it’s done wonderfully. It starts out quite mellow, setting the mood with gritty, yet clean vocals. The chorus comes and goes, and already the energy raises a bit more. The melody remains in the same range, but there’s more power in YUNGBLUD’s voice. The cadence quickens, and you can almost hear YUNGBLUD run out of breath in a pure display of emotion. “Do you feel like you’re irrelevant”, the singer chants over and over, in anticipation for the third chorus, sung in what could almost be described a scream. It comes across as pure despair and melancholy, very much akin to bands like Mariana’s Trench. That classic punk twang to what would otherwise be a simple ballad is something quite indescribable. There’s a clash of tone that creates something truly beautiful. The piano isn’t to be ignored either; the inversions, the voicings, the spacing of the chords played are all crucial for the ambience of this tune. The piano does a wonderful job supporting the dynamics of YUNGBLUD’s voice, working in perfect harmony.

Mars by YUNGBLUD is a gorgeous ballad, one that I didn’t expect from the singer, but I wasn’t surprised one bit. YUNGBLUD has proven his talents time and time again, and this song is no exception. Personally, it made me wish the singer would tackle a project to the same scope as Masterpiece Theater. With Mars, I truly believe that YUNGBLUD would absolutely have what it takes to make a project comparable to Mariana’s Trench’s opus.

Author: Nicholas Gaudet

Music producer and writer from Dieppe, Canada.