Some songs come together through planning, others arrive because the moment demands them. “Angels All About Me (For Pops)” falls into the second category for Trace Marx, a record shaped less by intention and more by lived experience lining up in unexpected ways.
The song did not begin as a tribute. When Marx first heard the beat, he responded to its energy rather than its meaning. He describes his writing process as stepping inside the sound and reacting to it physically. This instrumental made him want to move, release tension, and speak openly. At that point in his life, he was carrying the weight of several recent events that had tested his sense of stability. The pattern of falling forward rather than just failing became the emotional undercurrent of the track.
Only later did the song take on deeper significance. Marx’s grandfather, “Pops,” passed away from Parkinson’s disease a few weeks after the song was written. The funeral happened to fall on the same day Marx had already scheduled studio time, so he attended the service in the morning and spent the evening recording at Criteria Studio in Miami. What might have felt impossible instead became focused and deliberate. The session stretched late into the night, followed by another long day dedicated to finishing the record.
Trace Marx says he felt accompanied during the process, as though his grandfather was present in the room. That feeling influenced the final record and the way the song was handled technically. Certain elements of the instrumental were intentionally left open, allowing space for what could not be explained or measured.
Pops, whose full name was Trevor P. Jones, was his mother’s father and someone Marx increasingly saw himself reflected in as he grew older. Both were outgoing, expressive, and deeply tied to family. Before music became his primary focus, Marx worked in IT sales, mirroring his grandfather’s career in insurance.
Rather than defining angels in strictly spiritual terms, Marx treats the idea broadly. Faith plays a role, but so do the people around him. Friends, collaborators, and listeners all fall under that umbrella. Music, he says, places him in a vulnerable position, and the support he receives in return carries real significance.
The sound of the record reflects Marx’s upbringing as much as the story behind it. Born in London, raised in Miami, and coming from a Jamaican family, his musical vocabulary formed early and across borders. The UK Garage and drum and bass influence points back to his time in London, while hip hop and Afrobeat remain natural extensions of his environment and community. The instrumental came from producer RXLLIN, who is based in Ukraine, with engineer Mike Banger helping shape the final mix.
In the song’s credits, Pops is listed as a co-contributor, and Marx is donating proceeds from the record and its merchandise to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s research and to Jamaican hurricane relief efforts.
“Angels All About Me (For Pops)” does not aim to explain grief or resilience. Instead, it documents a moment when both were present at once. For Trace Marx, that balance marks the beginning of a new chapter, one guided less by expectation and more by trust in what unfolds.
Listen to “Angels All About Me (For Pops)” out now: