The Third Eye heads back to Brooklyn (maybe we should move there) and finds another excellent new album, the debut studio album from Marjorine. Is Mayonnaise an Instrument? will be released on June 28th via Postseason Franchise Records and was produced in the hot summer of 2023. The record represents a new direction for Marjorine, as for the first time, it was recorded as a full band to capture the raw energy of their live performances.
Notably, Mayonnaise features dynamic garage and psych rock fury, with hints of dream pop and krautrock that marked the project’s first few releases, “Salton Sea” and Mattress 4 U. Fuzzed-out bass lines accompany driving rhythms while searing guitar riffage cuts in and out between verses. The hints of Sixties and Seventies psychedelia in the songwriting are accompanied by more modern layering and synthesis to fill out the sound of Mayonnaise.
The Marjorine project was started in 2021 by songwriter, singer, and guitarist Nicholas Comaratta, but many of the tracks on Mayonnaise date back to 2012. Comaratta has surrounded himself with bassist David Arthur, drummer Matt Carroll, and multi-instrumentalist JD Slater IV to bring the project to life in live and studio settings.
The band will celebrate the record with an album release show at Knitting Factory in New York City on July 2nd alongside Prison and label mates Duel Ferns. The audience should expect plenty of fireworks and musical pyrotechnics at the release show two days before Independence Day.
Before we dive into the music, let’s first address the album title: Is Mayonnaise an Instrument? Of course not! However, I love the non-sequitur and absurdist humor at play. It reminds me of the bizarro pop art of Andy Warhol and his Campbell’s Soup Cans (1962) painting. Warhol also managed and produced The Velvet Underground, a key influence of Duel Ferns and, I’m guessing, an influence for Marjorine and Nicholas Comaratta. So, in a way, it all comes first circle – starting with the mayonnaise.
(Side note: Upon viewing the Bandcamp page for this record after writing the review, I think this also might be a SpongeBob SquarePants reference. The similarity between Warhol and SpongeBob might not be apparent at first, but I’m sure if you dig deep enough, you’ll find absurdist humor similarities. Oh, and what I also love about the album title: even though this record is seriously good in a musical sense, it’s apparent the band doesn’t take themselves too seriously).
Mayonnaise starts with loud guitar feedback and a pulsating bass on “How Many Times” before a swirling guitar kicks in. Nicholas’ vocals follow, repeating the line, “How many times? So many times.” I’m unsure what he’s referring to, but it sounds excellent, and the instrumentation backing him up soars to grand heights.
In “Dirty Mirror,” we’re hit with a grooved-out guitar riff at the start, as the vocals are quieter and calmer. Things have settled down, but not for long. Within a few moments, we return to a high-energy posture while the song builds and heads back to fuzzed-out guitar. The bass line thumps smoothly while JD Slater adds flute. The dirty mirror is smudged with mayonnaise, and Marjorine uses it as an instrument.
A chilled-out guitar riff brings us into “Bet You,” reminiscent of surf-funk-alt-rock like Incubus. The song is a little more lo-fi and droning, with Slater handling a calming synth and lowering the temperature. On “To Morrow,” there’s a flashback to late Sixties psych and poppy surf-rock, with a jangly guitar and a vocal refrain that reminds of earlier-era utopian promises. I can feel the sunshine on my skin on this track.
Just when you think Marjorine is in chill mode, “Venen” hits with a nasty guitar. We’ve left psych-pop territory and are back in the nitty-gritty city with neon lights, cold concrete, and industrial sludge. “Otherside” is yet another mood tone, something along the lines of Charles Moothart or Ty Segall. It has that same frenetic beat and vocals. It’s a song pulsing with anxiety and urgency.
I hear The Velvet Underground on “Other Mirror.” The drug-smoked-psychotropic clouds of the atmosphere are notable. This isn’t a dirty mirror; it’s another one where the band sees its reflection and perhaps doesn’t recognize itself.
“Decatur Memo” is a brief interlude featuring a funky synth and creepy background vocals. It’s an extraterrestrial track that’s something not of this world, Brooklyn, or anything we could call humanoid. That brings us to “Rotarians,” which washed over me like crashing waves on a beach. Once again, surf rock, shoegaze, and dream-pop are channeled, but more than that, it sounds like the band simply smoked some good weed, laid back, and chilled out.
The record ends with “Letters,” the most melancholy and epically framed song, featuring Nicholas’ dulcet vocals and the sugary sweet ring of the guitar. I pictured McCartney in the Beatles or even Wings, with a slow, soft opening that picks up in intensity and volume but maintains a drug-induced haze, carrying us off into the band’s dreams.
Is Mayonnaise an Instrument? is a strong debut effort by Marjorine and another solid release from Postseason Franchise Records. The album encompasses many emotions, tones, and feelings, going from heavy to light to dark and everything in between. If you’re in New York, make it a point to see the record release show and see Marjorine live. And head over to Brooklyn, where some of America’s best underground music is being made today.
Check out Is Mayonnaise an Instrument by Marjorine on Bandcamp here.
You can support Marjorine by finding them on Bandcamp or Instagram.
You can support Postseason Franchise Records by finding them on Bandcamp or Instagram.
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