The Whole World’s Gone Mad by Marcus Valance: Review

by Gabe Finch December 2, 2022

December 2, 2022

The Whole World’s Gone Mad by Marcus Valance: Review

Following his previous single ‘Yesterday’, British Indie-folk artist Marcus Valance is back with his second single of the year “The Whole World’s Gone Mad”. Given how things have been lately, I think we can all agree with the title of the song.

The song is a close observation of recent events put together in a classic folk fashion. The song starts with Marcus Valance singing the Dylan-like narrative yet not-so-direct lyrics over an acoustic guitar and a harmonica. The song builds up as the verse progresses and more instruments get added to the mix. As he makes the transition to the chorus, the whole band is at their peak playing to Marcus singing the inspiring and at the same time comforting words at the top of his lungs. The song strikes a perfect balance between telling you what’s really going on and inspiring you to be strong and carry on. There are a lot of horrible things going on in the world but it’s not all doom and gloom if we stand together and make a difference.

Musically, the influence of Bob Dylan is evident in the songwriting and arrangement. Personally, it’s Marcus’ vocals that take the cake. Another notable thing in the song is his piano playing and the role it played building up and playing along in the chorus. Switching up styles from folk to a more ballad style in the chorus is also a highlight of the song.