With a touch of contemporary, Mercury Messiah is set to bring back the classic rock sound of the seventies, with a modern take. With their debut single, Sunlight Surfing, this foursome from Montreal is turning heads with their gritty guitar riffs, funky bass, tight drumming, and of course, those visceral falsetto vocals reminiscent of the heyday of Southern and British Rock. Mercury Messiah captures the youth spirit of rock-n-roll with Sunlight Surfing as evidenced by the call and response style of vocals to killer guitar harmonies, and that stadium-sounding chorus that pierces through the speakers and kicks you in the ass.
The performance from vocalist Johnny Dims is explosive, high-energy, and full of range. When he lets rip the chorus; “Sunlight Surfing, Sunlight Surfing” the vocal expression makes me ask, where has this been all these years? Toss in a little lead guitar lick, which
patterns off the vocals and we have ourselves a bonafide rock anthem. Mercury Messiah does not stop there, of course, no a simple four on the floor rock jam would be too easy and a cheap knock-off of the true rock spirit, Mercury Messiah rips out a straight Prog-Rock bridge halfway through this track. We have psychedelic synth melodies, lead guitar harmonics, and the big snare snapping the band explosively back into the tune. My musical nerd is screaming at the top of my lungs, YES!
Ok, my inner child has been satisfied but what about my more critical adult side? There is nothing derivative about Sunlight Surfing, it is a fresh take on that established sound, yet with modern recording practices, it delivers just that little bit more. We are able to hear bassist Corrado Johnston work his way up the scale to properly shape the chords he is playing, adding that extra syncopation, and giving this track some stylish funk. Whoever mixed the snare on Alex Brunel’s kit deserves a Grammy, this track is tight percussion. And of course, as previously mentioned Guitarist, Mano , brings his professional, yet fun licks creating cohesion of instrumentation that works very well with this style of vocals. Sunlight Surfing is a highly enjoyable track, lending to the nostalgia but scratching that itch we have had for many years now. It would be an excellent fit for any Rock radio playlist, and
campus playlists as well. Sunlight Surfing is a party tune that entertains, yet still challenges the listener. I can’t wait for more from Mercury Messiah.
Link to the single:
Connect with Mercury Messiah:
https://linktr.ee/Mercurymessiah