Marumari has announced his new record, Hidden Tracks and Rarities 2001-2005, out May 23rd via Carpark Records. The record’s lead single “birch beer forest” is out now with a new video.
Carpark will be hosting a show at Public Records in Brooklyn, NY on 5/22! The lineup for the show includes Marumari, Keith Fullerton Whitman, Skylar Spence, & more. Check out the flyer here. Tickets are live now.
Marumari returns with a collection of long-lost tracks recorded between 2001 and 2005, offering a glimpse into a transformative period for both the artist and their music. Following the cancellation of a U.S. tour with To Rococo Rot in the wake of 9/11, Marumari, known for lush, intricate IDM soundscapes, found themselves shifting focus away from music, instead immersing in work as a graphic designer. However, creativity never fully stopped. Over the years, inspiration would strike on commutes to work in Boston, at home, and even through secret Napster uploads under pseudonyms, leaving behind a scattered yet compelling archive of compositions.
During this time, Marumari’s influences were wide-ranging, blending the glitchy, melodic textures of Aphex Twin, Mouse on Mars, Autechre, and Boards of Canada with the dynamic instrumentation of Tortoise, The Sea and Cake, and Stereolab. Layered on top of this was a deep love for ‘80s pop, all of which shaped the sonic identity of this collection. “With so many Marumari songs, there’s usually a mysterious start followed by a build-up, and then a melancholy or even euphoric ending,” they explain. Tracks like “Kid CBC” and “Liquid X Fun” perfectly embody this arc, while “Tortoye” and “Salted Sea” take a more understated approach, revealing the emotional depth that defines Marumari’s sound.
A major life shift also took place during this period, the birth of a child. Music slowed down but never truly ceased, and the resulting tracks reflect both the uncertainty and wonder of that time. “Bringing a new child into the world, changing jobs, moving, all of these things influenced my music and how it’s spread out over the years,” they share. What emerged is not a traditionally structured album, but rather a time capsule of sonic fragments that capture fleeting moments of inspiration.
For long-time Marumari fans, some of these songs might ring a bell, perhaps from those early Napster uploads or as echoes of the artist’s signature atmospheric world-building. And while there’s no strict theme that ties them all together, the collection feels like a natural extension of the Marumari ethos: intricate, immersive, and always evolving.
Marumari has always been a project steeped in sci-fi aesthetics, its name even drawn from the morph ball ability in Metroid, an obsession with depth and atmosphere that continues to permeate the music. With this release, those elements remain intact, serving as both a nostalgic nod to the past and a bridge to whatever comes next. “I do plan on making more music, when inspiration hits,” they say. “You never really know when that will happen.”
