We first became aware of Christopher Mansfield's (Fences) music back in 2010 when he collaborated with Macklemore on the now-famous remix of "Otherside", but fast-forward to 2014, and we see the guys connecting again on the brand-new track, "Arrows", that's being released as the first single for the Seattle-based singer-songwriter's sophomore album, Lesser Oceans, that's being released under the Fences project. Being mutual music acquaintances in Seattle for quite some time, this collaboration was not forced; rather, according to Billboard's article detailing the operation, Macklemore admitted: "Fences is a good friend. He's fu---d up in the same that I'm f----d up. Because of that, our lives relate beyond the music. I've always admired his talent for illustrating with words and evoking imagery. We've made a bunch of stuff together over the years and ["Arrows"] is my favorite [song] we've done". Despite the seeming artistic accordance between the two, it's known that Fences' sound is more raw and conspicuously emotional. That being the case, we find the songwriter in a more positive light here, backed by Ryan Lewis' upbeat production. Macklemore provides yet another of his raspy-voiced performances that not only reinforces his status as a polished wordsmith, but exposes further his versatile style as well. There's no denying his ability to blend his lyrics into almost any type of music, and this rather cheerful, altogether uplifting single by Fences which he's situated finely on sees him right at home with artistry in tow. Purchase "Arrows" on iTunes now. Pre-orders for Lesser Oceans start tomorrow.
Fences