The anonymous music and art entity Darkplace resurfaces with “Maran”, the second single from the forthcoming album About Nordic Folklore, set for digital release on 6 March via Icons Creating Evil Art. Continuing their descent into the shadowed corners of Nordic myth, Darkplace once again merge darkwave, black metal, and Nordic folk into a soundworld where folklore becomes something tactile, breathing, and unnervingly alive.
Where the previous single “Näcken” dwelled in the depths of dark waters, “Maran” shifts the focus to a far more intimate realm — the bedroom, the dream, the fragile space between breath and paralysis. In Nordic tradition, the Mare (or Mara) is a nocturnal spirit that sits upon the chest of sleeping victims, twisting dreams into terror and leaving them gasping for air. Darkplace captures this suffocating presence with chilling precision.
As the project explains: “'Maran' is about what slips through keyholes and cracks. She comes while you sleep, riding the chest, stealing breath, turning dreams into nightmares.”
The single also echoes the old ritual used to ward off the Mare — forcing her into an impossible task — reflected in the song’s incantatory refrain, delivered like a whispered spell from another age.
Musically, “Maran” unfolds as a slow, oppressive descent. Mechanical pulses and shadow‑soaked electronics coil around ritualistic melodies and organic textures, all shaped by Darkplace’s distinctive bowed guitar and bass. Drawing influence from artists such as Ulver and Swans, the track mirrors the experience it portrays: hypnotic, claustrophobic, and impossible to fully escape.
This is the most electronically driven and physically resonant piece on the album so far. A heavy, chest‑pressing bassline embodies the crushing weight of the Mare, while the distorted lullaby that opens the track offers a deceptive calm — a fragile innocence soon corrupted. Horror aficionados may even catch a subtle nod to Rosemary’s Baby, deepening the song’s unsettling aura.
About Nordic Folklore revolves around nine mythological beings, each given its own sonic identity and visual presence. True to the project’s ethos, Darkplace extend their work beyond music into a broader world of imagery, atmosphere, and mythic excavation.
Remaining anonymous, Darkplace allows the art itself to haunt, whisper, and linger — just like the spirits they invoke. Link
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