“Two Martians. One Dream”. That’s probably the most concise way to sum up the quirky little backstory behind Destination Mars. The Hip-Pop twosome claim to be extra-terrestrial visitors who crash landed on our planet and must reach out to their alien kin through coded messages embedded in eclectic music. In reality, they’re Jonjo and Rosie from Norfolk, two immensely talented humans who have managed to produce a highly commendable and varied mixtape entitled ‘Dream Catcher’.
Jonjo is a rapper armed with a consistent and comfortable flow and multisyllabic rhyme schemes while Rosie is a singer with fantastic range and delivery and they complement each other tremendously well. Structured verses often give way to a melodic and infectious chorus, ‘So Lonely’ serving as a prime example. Rosie’s ability to control her voice is vividly present as she reaches majestically for high notes before gliding softly away, almost into a whisper.
‘Dream Catcher’ is relatively diverse in its influences and affectations. ‘Driving Home To You’ is unequivocally British, whereas, songs like ‘They Won’t Listen’ have a more American hip-hop vibe and 'Already On It’ introduces strong dance elements. As the album progresses, genres are distorted and fused, they undulate and manoeuvre around and within one another simultaneously complementing and defying. The first four or five songs are poppy, mainstream efforts that you might hear on the radio, the middle portion of the record is more likely to be heard in a nightclub and, as the album begins to come to a close, it becomes almost experimental.
There’s certainly something for everyone on ‘Dream Catcher’ and, as with all music, personal preference prevails. Personally, I prefer the first half of the album, both in terms of musicality and content. ‘Driving Home To You’ and ‘Got Faith In You’ have catchy refrains and monster sing along choruses and this is something I always enjoy in music but, lyrically and thematically, they both speak to me. They touch upon hope and courage, childhood and nostalgia, living life for yourself. As Jonjo puts it, “We just dream as dreamers, the heart of a kid it lies beneath us”.
Destination Mars remind me a lot of Rizzle Kicks in so much as they have a mainstream marketability, they and their brand of hip-hop has an element of musicality above and beyond the straightforward formula of lyrics over a beat, however, they manage set themselves apart from the Brighton duo and other similar artists. Their music is more sincere, more sophisticated; it caters to a more discerning audience and it doesn’t, to their credit, feature an air of novelty that seems to be prevalent in mainstream hip-hop.
‘Dream Catcher’ is out now and is absolutely worthy of much praise and attention, as are Destination Mars themselves. If they keep churning out tunes like this, it won’t be long until they’re really noticed. Watch this space.
Destination Mars can be found at:
- www.youtube.com/destinationmarz
- myspace.com/ticket2marz
- www.vibedeck.com/destinationmars
- www.datpiff.com/Jonjo-Dream-Catcher-mixtape.429700.html
Jonjo is a rapper armed with a consistent and comfortable flow and multisyllabic rhyme schemes while Rosie is a singer with fantastic range and delivery and they complement each other tremendously well. Structured verses often give way to a melodic and infectious chorus, ‘So Lonely’ serving as a prime example. Rosie’s ability to control her voice is vividly present as she reaches majestically for high notes before gliding softly away, almost into a whisper.
‘Dream Catcher’ is relatively diverse in its influences and affectations. ‘Driving Home To You’ is unequivocally British, whereas, songs like ‘They Won’t Listen’ have a more American hip-hop vibe and 'Already On It’ introduces strong dance elements. As the album progresses, genres are distorted and fused, they undulate and manoeuvre around and within one another simultaneously complementing and defying. The first four or five songs are poppy, mainstream efforts that you might hear on the radio, the middle portion of the record is more likely to be heard in a nightclub and, as the album begins to come to a close, it becomes almost experimental.
There’s certainly something for everyone on ‘Dream Catcher’ and, as with all music, personal preference prevails. Personally, I prefer the first half of the album, both in terms of musicality and content. ‘Driving Home To You’ and ‘Got Faith In You’ have catchy refrains and monster sing along choruses and this is something I always enjoy in music but, lyrically and thematically, they both speak to me. They touch upon hope and courage, childhood and nostalgia, living life for yourself. As Jonjo puts it, “We just dream as dreamers, the heart of a kid it lies beneath us”.
Destination Mars remind me a lot of Rizzle Kicks in so much as they have a mainstream marketability, they and their brand of hip-hop has an element of musicality above and beyond the straightforward formula of lyrics over a beat, however, they manage set themselves apart from the Brighton duo and other similar artists. Their music is more sincere, more sophisticated; it caters to a more discerning audience and it doesn’t, to their credit, feature an air of novelty that seems to be prevalent in mainstream hip-hop.
‘Dream Catcher’ is out now and is absolutely worthy of much praise and attention, as are Destination Mars themselves. If they keep churning out tunes like this, it won’t be long until they’re really noticed. Watch this space.
Destination Mars can be found at:
- www.youtube.com/destinationmarz
- myspace.com/ticket2marz
- www.vibedeck.com/destinationmars
- www.datpiff.com/Jonjo-Dream-Catcher-mixtape.429700.html