Leading from the front with thought-provoking lyricism that strongly questions society’s worldview, unstoppable First Nations duo MARLON X RULLA make an instant impact on Trauma Patient; a hard-hitting statement piece that questions individuals that act with half-hearted moral positions.
“Trauma Patient is a thought provoking expression of one of the many anxieties of an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander person in Australia. It places responsibility on listeners to challenge the behaviors and values of the term “Allie” and define what that title means in its truest form. Trauma Patient in its essence, is a challenge of today’s societal WorldView of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and the narrative that our successes are formed or created, and actioned from a deficit model based origin.” – Marlon Motlop
Soulful, buttery vocals from Marlon Motlop are paired perfectly with audacious bars from Rulla Kelly-Mansell on Trauma Patient, showcasing a powerhouse dynamic between the two voices that constantly lifts throughout the track. It is hard to believe the pair have only released one two tracks thus far (Black Swan, 2021 & Unceded, 2022), as the Impeccable production (which was handled by Trials, one half of AB Original), irresistibly smooth hooks and well-refined lyricism found on Trauma Patient feel like they are destined for the biggest stages in the world.
“‘Trauma patient’ provokes the very irony of our trauma being exploited by those who created it, for profit. Challenging the structure of allies, industries, and people in positions of power and their priorities of analytics. Asking them the question, are we talented? Or are we ourselves shining a microscope on our experiences of trauma? What level of comprehension do those people see that in?” – Rulla Kelly-Mansell
Although the duo’s discography may be reasonably short so far, that has not stopped MARLON X RULLA from collecting a plethora of accolades and achievements wherever they go. Whether it’s a nomination for NIMA’S New Talent of 2023; winning Best Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Artist at the SA Music Awards, scoring a triple j First Play for Unceded as well as a Triple J Unearthed artist spotlight and track of the day, joining the late Archie Roach for an iconic triple j Like A Version last year, or receiving 33k+ streams across DSP’s with previous editorial playlist spots on Spotify (Deadly Beats, Proppa Bars, Blak Australia, Equal AU + NZ) and Apple Music (FIRST,ALWAYS, First Nations Australia Essentials and Blaklist), MARLON X RULLA have overwhelmingly proved they are one of the countries most exciting new artists.
The milestones don’t stop there however; with the duo scoring notable support slots for Midnight Oil, Dan Sultan, Baker Boy, Vanessa Amorosi, and Xavier Rudd; festival spots at Dark Mofo, Spin Off, Woodford Folk Festival, Party in the Apocalypse, BASS in the GRASS, WOMAD, Port Fairy Folk Festival and Treaty Day Out; as well as performances at the NIMAS, SA Music Awards, Ruby Awards, NITV’s 2023 Sunset Ceremony, NITV’s Yokayi Football Grand Final show, and 2 AFL games.If this overwhelming list of accomplishments is anything to go by, MARLON X RULLA have a very exciting career ahead of them.
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