With an inventive style that seems to navigate the sounds of 1970s prog rock, the African-influenced pop of bands like Dirty Projectors and Vampire Weekend, Animal Collective's dense experimentations, and cheerful video game music, Delicate Steve is the brainchild of New Jersey-based guitarist/songwriter Steve Marion. His instrumental rock often features layers of percussion, keyboards, and electronic effects tied together with breezy slide guitar. Combining experimental music and melodic pop from the beginning with his debut, Wondervisions, in 2011, Delicate Steve went on to release albums such as the vibrantly whimsical This Is Steve (2017) and contrastingly loungy After Hours (2022). In the meantime, Marion became an in-demand studio musician, appearing on albums by Paul Simon, Yeasayer, and Sondre Lerche, among others.