Emerging New Jersey-based artist Mk.gee is one to keep an eye on. On his debut project Two Star & The Dream Police, Mk.gee flexes his lack of care for genre constraints, infusing the album with hints of indie, alternative and bedroom-pop influences and evoking comparisons to the great genre-benders who came before him like Dijon, Dominic Fike and Bon Iver.
Mk.gee collaborated with Dijon back in 2021, offering contributions and backing vocals to the artist’s Absolutely album. Now, the 12-track album arrives after a solid solo year for the 26-year-old singer/songwriter, which saw him hit the road to tour with Dijon and boygenius.
The rollout for his debut project kicked off in the summertime, when he dropped off “Candy” and “How many miles” – two starkly different singles that find Mk.gee in different pockets of his expansive zone. He continues to expand his scope throughout the album, with some tracks leaning into heavy reverb and others rooted in glimmering guitars and strings.
Two Star & The Dream Police comes accompanied by a visual of Mk.gee “in perpetual motion.” He’s seen performing on an old school bus, hanging out the window and strumming his guitar as the bus traverses along a winding country road. When the visual dropped, artists from across the industry hit the comments section, with Kenny Beats proclaiming “Mike we are so lucky to have you around.”
“With fire and vigor, the debut record,” he wrote when he officially announced the album on Instagram, followed by shouts to a handful of his “heroes” and collaborators, including Dijon.
Stream Two Star & The Dream Police on Spotify and Apple Music now.
