Best of Budapest & Hungary

Black Marble is one of the most distinctive figures to emerge from New York’s cold wave and synth-pop revival. His music brings together minimalist electronics, melancholic pop sensibility and a cinematic sense of detachment. His latest album, Life in Small Spaces, is both personal and surprisingly direct. On April 18, audiences at Turbina Cultural Centre will be able to experience Black Marble’s hypnotic, story-driven songs live.

    Black Marble, the project of Chris Stewart, began releasing music online in the early 2010s and quickly stood out in New York’s then-reviving cold wave scene, soon finding a singular voice of its own. His debut full-length, A Different Arrangement, was released in 2012, followed by It’s Immaterial, which took his earlier dark yet catchy sound in a slightly more melodic direction. In 2019, alongside his move to Los Angeles, he released Bigger Than Life, an album that reflected the change of scenery by allowing more light into its sonic world. His fourth full-length, Fast Idol, followed in 2022, while Life in Small Spaces arrived this summer, bringing further new shades to Stewart’s sound.

    Alongside the familiar synths, the new record features more guitar, taut rhythms reminiscent of live drums, and echoes of early American college rock. The result is a strange, hypnotic album that feels like a late-night radio transmission caught between two frequencies. Life in Small Spaces explores the realities of independent musicianship, artistic freedom and the compromises that can accompany success.

    Black Marble is for anyone drawn to dark, synth-driven film scores: music that may have been born in the rain, yet still occasionally catches the sunlight. Expect a similarly atmospheric experience at Black Marble’s April 18 show at Turbina.

    Tickets go on sale on October 23 at 11:00 AM.