Sprinkling together the intermeshing worlds of jazz, hip-hop, and soul, Nick Marks puts together one of the most effortlessly sounding, lackadaisical, and smooth tunes I’ve had the pleasure of embarking on all year. While the production is undeniably intricate and expressively dexterous through the sheer amount of elements on play, there’s something so refreshingly simple and easy-going about the energy and vibe that Marks is able to exude on Between Gigs that allows even the most casual of listeners to just mellow down and groove out to this instrumental tune.
Writing this while I find myself in my own state of limbo, unsure of where the next step in life is and where I’ll be going, there’s something relaxing and placating about what “Between Gigs” is able to do for me. It’s supple, floating, and freeing. There’s an air of calmness within the complexity of its elements, an ease to its temp that just has you entirely focused in the good around you. Marks is an auditory whiz, one who goes over and above to deliver an aural experience that’s beyond your conception.
If you find yourself lost and anxious, this is an instant antidote.