It has taken a decade of dogged work for Marcus Brown, better known these days by the moniker Nourished By Time, to get to his sophomore album, ‘The Passionate Ones’. His debut album, ‘Erotic Probiotic 2’, put him on the map with nostalgic, off-kilter songs that encapsulated his unrest in life: working in retail, in construction, barbering, teaching tennis by day, and recording music in his parent’s Baltimore basement by night.
Two years later, things are different. Brown is no longer in his parent’s basement and has since flitted between London and New York while writing new music. His discombobulation of transitioning between his old life and the new, no longer surviving hand to mouth and essentially living his lifelong dream, has challenged the bolts of his own liberalism.
“Low on money / Quite high on passion / Look at what I made true / Little bit of fame too,” sings Brown on ‘Baby Baby’, the André 3000 reminiscent pep mirroring the momentum of losing control as he consolidates his newfound status. Elsewhere, Brown recounts his stubborn pursuit of artistic fulfilment and self-empowerment to escape the trappings of mundanity. “My whole life changed faster than a minute / I dreamed this life now I’m scared to live it,” Brown quips on the moody yet enticing groove of ‘It’s Time’, documenting his mental struggles to persevere in pursuit of big dreams, while reinforcing “We don’t have to be so average”.
The sentiment is best captured on standout track ‘9 2 5’, which tackles the subject from the opposite end. A paean to the creative hustle and “Tryna beat the system”, the song’s fizzy undercurrent of snare spurs hope instead of wading through stagnation. It’s also not the only time on ‘The Passionate Ones’ that Brown references his struggle with addiction; the topic interweaves through ‘Jojo’, featuring UK producer Tony Bontana, where he recalls his dulling the pain of dissatisfaction for “damn near half my life”.
Aside from Brown’s fluctuating self-trust and faith that all will come in its right time, ‘The Passionate Ones’ is an ode to love at heart – all the bittersweet, messy and tentative bits included. “I’m passionately waiting and I want you to know,” concludes lead single ‘Max Potential’, its dirgy guitar distortion soundtracking a meandering relationship. Whether a true romantic lost in fantasy or a spurned lover longing for reconciliation, it is clear that there is space for love that cannot be occupied by Brown alone. He is not looking for frivolous connection but, as so described on ‘Idiot In The Park’, “a love that leaves a scar”.
Whether Brown will find a satisfying love and strike a balance between his past life and fruitful present remains to be seen, but with ‘The Passionate Ones’, he has honed his intuitive songwriting and production for an experience that is warped, welcoming and deservedly self-assured.
Details
- Record label: XL Recordings
- Release date: August 22, 2025