Not always does a band's debut EP gain a good amount of press attention, but that's what happened with The Mercy Beat. Based in L.A. with members from Hong Kong, Hawaii and New York, the reason why their first songs were deemed worthy of investigation by some noted publications is likely due to the fact that they're fronted by former singer of The Bravery, Sam Endicott who's also written hits for other popstars. So interest in finding out just what his own band would sound like was bound to be high. Things went well, and now the EP is set for a release on this side of the Atlantic on September 1st.
So, is it much cop? The Bravery ended up slightly maligned, so the knives being out for this one would perhaps be likely, but they can be put away again because it turns out that The Mercy Beat have some very good synth-pop/indie-rock tunes. The slower and more poppy 'Sweet' arrived first, and may have indicated that the band were looking for a slightly more commercial sound, but when you contrast that to the EP's opening track 'An Act Of Mercy' then something more solid appears. Yeah, this is pop, but definitely of the alternative variety, and the indie crowd shouldn't be too put off either. It's a catchy song that would suit radio play and could become fairly omnipresent - certainly future recordings in a similar style will do this should the band take off. Lastly is the mildly epic sounding '80s pop of 'Fool For A Fool', and here they do dive head-first into pop. They may have missed the revival boat on this one, but it's well written, and the other material suggests that there could be a good future ahead.
The Mercy Beat's website
Stream the EP in full
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