Mk.gee – Two Star & The Dream Police (Top Albums of 2024)

Both listless and intensely directed, New Jersey-born indie/alt underground monarch Mk.gee’s latest studio album, Two Star & The Dream Police, is nothing short of a sensation. It’s a rich tapestry of oddball guitar and sordid synth, completed by the utterly luxurious overtures of Mk.gee’s incredible, tortured voice. 

In my opinion, there’s no way to listen to these songs except as a complete album. To do otherwise is to miss the elegant sequencing that so completely transports the listener, evoking senses of heartbreak, mystery, and an ever-so-cautious acceptance. It makes me feel nostalgic for a time in which I never existed—one that may never have existed at all. Every song ends before you can sink your teeth into its structure, as though they were fleeting, half-remembered dreams slipping between your fingers as you rub the sleep from your eyes. Two Star & The Dream Police is a triumph that refuses to insist upon itself, and it’s all the better for its humility.