Hailing from Detroit, United States, and seven years after detonating onto the scene with ”The Fury Of Almost,” Marcus: The Apex Predator! makes a raucous return with their latest EP, ”Newborn Fossil.” Helmed by guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter Kevin Watts, the band reunites Float Here Forever’s Nick Marko on drums and introduces Sean Bondareff (Kind Beast) on bass. This five-track project, captured by Jake Shives and polished by Grammy-winner Dave Feeny at Tempermill Studios, leans into a raw, unfiltered sound, feral and deliberate. Newborn Fossil feels like a homecoming and a daring step forward, untamed, noisy, and exhilarating.
Launching with the titular track, ”Newborn Fossil” wastes no time drawing blood. Jittery, abrasive guitars carve the air while Watts’ vocals veer between vulnerable crooning and impassioned howls. It’s a taut, scrappy opener that seems to battle itself, creating tension with every measure. Marcus: The Apex Predator! thrives in this uneasy middle ground, crafting a sonic experience that’s confrontational and oddly inviting. The song acts less like an invitation and more like a dare, establishing the EP’s defiant heartbeat from the start.
”Lo-Fi” shifts the mood into more introspective territory, swapping sheer aggression for a mournful undercurrent. While grit remains woven into the fabric, the track drifts through misty recollections and bruised emotion. In contrast, ”The First Summer” captures fleeting glimpses of warmth and youth through its distorted, sun-drenched guitars. It feels like flipping through a photo album where every image is frayed at the edges and a moment of wistfulness wrapped inside the band’s usual rough-and-tumble exterior. Both tracks broaden the EP’s emotional scope without losing the group’s visceral pulse.
The chaos roars back to life with ”Plenty & Shine,” a gleeful sprint of cracked rhythms and unpredictable turns. Here, Marcus: The Apex Predator! let their freak flag fly high, embracing asymmetry and raucousness with abandon. The bass snarls and the drums tumble with untamed vigour, creating a track that’s barely contained but all the more thrilling for it. There’s an infectious, scrappy charm here—like a band joyfully throwing themselves down a hill and seeing where they land, and somehow sticking the landing with panache.
However, the closing number, ”No Fraction,” doesn’t quite stick the dismount. Though it carries the same restless spirit and guitar-driven fury as its predecessors, it feels more like treading water than breaking new ground. The sprawling density of the song begins to overshadow its sharper instincts, leaving the EP’s finale slightly bloated. Still, despite a slight wobble at the finish line, ”Newborn Fossil” remains a fiercely distinctive statement. Marcus: The Apex Predator! continue to carve out a space that is messy, fearless, and completely their own, and for fans of rough-edged post-hardcore, their resurgence is a noise well worth celebrating.
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