Mercy “Forever” Independent album released 1 February 2021 (take 2)

Having got a hold of the record, I’m now in a better position to comment on the songs themselves: not snippets; and the album in its entirety.

Intro: bell peals and howling winds usher in a mournful version of the “Wedding March” like those of a death- or doom- record opening. That, in many interviews for this release, this record is about weddings and marriages, may not auger well for Reuben! Remind me to ask Mercy about that!!

Heart of Stone: reminds me of the Petshop Boys‘ lyric in West End Girls– heart of glass or a heart of stone / just you wait til I get you home. That is the only thing these songs have in common, as Mercy and her guitarist rock out (Mr Tailor is credited as being the live-guitarist but both Mercy and Reuben Krendel are known to have contributed to the record here and there) with a middle-8 showcasing each musician, albeit for only one or two bars each.

Cut It Out: those of us in the Sydney scene in the late 1990s will recall Doradus and Rachel Rose‘s aural presentation. If you weren’t there, Cut It Out here is a great example of what Doradus were doing there! Rachel’s career was cut cruelly short but hopefully, again, that is the only similarity between these two artists. Mercy‘s guitarist/s also deliver/s in a small acoustic jab during the.middle-8 and a small solo not long afterward.

A Little More Time: as straight-ahead a rocker as we have had so far, with a riff similar to the old Chicago hit 25 or 6 to 4. Throw out your devil’s horns and bang your head, even during the quasi-operatic part!

Gabriel: for the archangel maybe? The guy on Supernatural with Sam and Dean? Whichever bent it was written toward, this is the No Doubt / Gwen Stefani song I read about in other interviews and reviews: specifically, the super-hit power-ballad “Don’t Speak”, with just Mercy, her beautiful voice, and an acoustic guitar to crescendo the rest of the band into a full-on power ballad.

Damage: I stand by my original comments but now know the full length and breadth of the band’s abilities and appreciate this song now in all its post/neo-punk glory.

Forever: full-on QOTSA, complete with the layered vocals.

Revenge: another Doradus-styled track (look for Rachel‘s output on YouTube to see what I am aiming at!)

Technology and time-poverty got in the way of me enjoying this record in one session and hopefully that will be resolved for the band’s next outing. Mercy rocks! That’s my take on this record! Get a hold of it and get into this band! My initial take on them was completely wrong- the output of a band cannot be judged on a single alone.