What a year Mk.gee has had. An explosive record rollout, a sold-out world tour, even a late night debut on Jimmy Kimmel Live! Though longtime readers know we've long since had our ticket punched on the Mk.gee train, it's now safe to say that the budding six-string savant's success cannot be chalked up to a simple 15 minutes of fame. Two Star & The Dream Police was an undeniable critical success, gracing even the most corporate collections of the "Best Albums of 2024 So Far," being included by but not limited to Billboard, Rolling Stone and Complex (but I'm really just mentioning that if our review wasn't enough to convince you the first time). But as is always the case with hot new artists, when you step out that hard, the audience always demands more.
In the wake of the still growing success of his latest record, Mk.gee has kept his fanbase mostly satisfied with his globally comprehensive world tour and a steady supply of live renditions of the record being uploaded to his official YouTube channel. Each video finds Mk.gee loitering in a desaturated liminal space late at night or riding in the back of a pickup truck at the break dawn (just generally anywhere where a guitar and a Mk.gee should not be), playing and singing like nobody and everybody is watching, like if he didn't sing he would simply explode from the pressure. For most people, this would be more than satisfactory, they might even consider this level of artistry to be an overabundance. But not us, no, we are not most people, we are the unfortunate few cursed to wander the world as crazed, obsessive audiophiles, demanding forever more from the artists that deliver us so much.
Lucky for us, a new track, among others, began floating around the internet some time ago, being passed along like a borrowed cassette by way of fan footage captured during his Spring tour dates. As the snippet spread, so did curiosity and excitement, fans took to all forms of social media to beg and plead that it be released as a single, some even conceding that they would settle for a demo leak. On Friday, August 23, Mk.gee-heads everywhere finally had their wishes granted; the world's most mysterious new superstar uploaded a brand new single, "Lonely Fight."
Mk.gee's latest single follows the Two Star treasure map to sonic heaven to the letter; sparkling, tweed toned guitar licks folded harmoniously over one another like musical taffy, a sauntering bass line that would, and most likely has made Eric Clapton cry, and a gentle kick drum that melts into the choral of reverb and delay pedal effects but never feels buried in the instrumental. There's so much magic in "Lonely Fight," so much raw feel and yet untapped emotion, giving form and feeling to a memory that lingers relentlessly or has yet to even be made.
While seemingly a one-off single, "Lonely Fight" does fit itself pretty conveniently into the greater narrative of its predecessor. Two Star & The Dream Police chronicled the high and lows of a crumbling relationship patched together by shared abuse and betrayal, doomed to repeat their mistakes out of fear, uncertainty or even comfortability. "Lonely Fight" fits itself after the great epiphany of its predecessors closing track, "Dream Police," bringing us back into the story to find our dear heroine dancing alone. Something has changed inside of her, a painful realization has been made. She's become an echo of the woman she once was, she's lost touch with the things that made her happy, that made her sad, that filled her with emotion; wasted on someone she'd waited forever and a day to meet her halfway. She's tired of fighting this fight with them, and more importantly, within herself, but still struggles to accept that she must move on even in the face of the many heartbreaks she's endured. As the final notes fade out, we're left with the distant vision of our heroine dancing alone into the night, still waiting for someone to notice the sorrow in her rhythm.
"Lonely Fight" is a tune that leaves a bittersweet taste in your mouth. It's a beautiful, poignant track, yet haunting in way that’s both unforgettable and impossible to fully grasp. Its Mk.gee's answer to the question of his artistic longevity, one that more than proves his determination to stick around, and his intrinsic desire to create unique, beautiful music.
Rob Lucchesi
Mk.gee