Marcus D’s new single “Daruma,” featuring Noveliss, is out now everywhere, from his first non-instrumental solo album in nearly 10 years, titled “The Keeper,” a spiritual successor to 2020’s “Kirin.”

In Japanese folklore (and other Asian cultures), the daruma is a paper-mache doll dipped in colored paint to represent different goals and virtues that humans should aspire to. Stemming from Hinduism and Buddhism, the dolls are made with the eyes intentionally left blank so that once the owner has decided on a certain goal or wish, they fill in the first eye. Once that goal or wish has been completed or come to fruition, they fill in the second eye and display the doll until it’s burned in a ritual ceremony that represents the completion of the daruma’s path.