Pre-order of My Executive Dysfunction. You get 3 tracks now (streaming via the free Bandcamp app and also available as a high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more), plus the complete album the moment it’s released.
Purchasable with gift card
releases May 3, 2024
$5USD or more
Cassette + Digital Album
Includes digital pre-order of My Executive Dysfunction.
You get 3 tracks now
(streaming via the free Bandcamp app
and also available as a high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more), plus the
complete album the moment it’s released.
My Executive Dysfunction
Loosely defined Executive Disfunction disrupts a person's ability to manage their own thoughts, emotions and actions.
My Executive Disfunction is the new project by Mark Amura, artist, print maker & your favourite new pin-up. A six track EP born out of period of immense turbulence & personal upheaval and a very late in life Autism diagnoses. It’s amazing that Mark managed to record & release it, let alone that it be such an effervescent blast of sunshine pop.
Make looked for inspiration he retreated into the music that truly moved & inspired him, the P.O.P. of PWL, Erasure, Barry Manilow, Soft Cell, Girls Aloud, Raye & Kylie. Whilst he could not make music in that vein, he knew he had an innate knack for a catchy hook & a nagging refrain & with those tools would make his own approximation of it. The mission statement has always been, make it Queer, make it Pop, and make it emotional.
2023 was a tough year for most but for Mark it was the apex of a variety of personal, work & health issues that pushed him to the limits of his sanity. Grabbing onto his phone for dear life he would sing endless voice notes, catching melodies & lyric ideas before they vanished into the background noise of his increasingly troubled mind. With two tools at his disposable, friendship and creativity Mark found a way of keeping his head above water.
Neither a trained or untrained musician Mark needed a hand taking these melodic puzzles pieces & slotting them into place. Initially working with Katherine & Helen from Barry they helped give structure & shape to some his songs, but it was when he started working with Neale Muldowney from London punk legends The Outbursts that he found his perfect foil. Someone supportive & egoless who could truly realise the mini symphonies in his head. With Neale, Mark found a trusted partner with whom no idea was too strange or silly, too gauche or uncool, rather an opportunity to have fun & explore, creating a space for Marks confidence to grow in song writing & singing.
But what about the songs? You’d expect after all that they would be depressing dirges, but that’s not what makes My Executive Dysfunction tick. The boyfriends may be lost, the struggles hard, but like all the best pop these sorrows are wrapped in joy. “Hello Baby” is a keening ode to a love lost too soon. “I Don’t Know Why” an exercise is self-reflection, a chorus’ of vocals seeking to understand the sadness within amongst swirling synthetic strings & horns. “Sun Goes Up” & “Lift Ya Head Up” are both exercises in self-motivation, digging deep to hold onto that joy that can sometimes get lost in the quagmire of daily living. “Heads Turning” was inspired by feeling like an outsider & the social anxiety that comes with it. Finally, “The Things We Say” is an ode to enduring friendship & the strength it provides to keep on keeping on.
Not surprisingly for a visual artist the artwork accompanying the EP is a wonder to look at. Mark commissioned friend & illustrator Hayley Wall to create an image for his release, which they immediately said yes. Over 2023 Hayley & mark became friends & their lives entwined in more ways as they were able to understand & unlock some of the issues that had impacted Mark which led to his ADHD & Autism diagnosis. This immediately helped Mark understand what had been going on & allow him to reset & try & start things afresh.
This EP would not have happened without the continued encouragement & support from Ryan at Related Records.
credits
releases May 3, 2024
All songs performed, recoded, mixed and mastered
Muldowney/Amura
My Executive Disfunction is the new project by Mark Amura, artist, print maker & your favourite new pin-up. A six track EP
born out of period of immense turbulence & personal upheaval and a very late in life Autism diagnoses. It’s amazing that Mark managed to record & release it, let alone that it be such an effervescent blast of sunshine pop. Former member of Kurt Cobain's favourite band, Barry...more
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