of Mercury, formerly known as Nathan & Mercury, marks a new chapter in their music journey with the release of their two-track volume, CHANGIN’ Vol. 1—out today via Sony Music Philippines.
The dual release, which features the songs “I’M FINE” and “HEAVEN ON EARTH,” finds the band pushing their sound to an unexpected direction and displaying remarkable consistency in terms of musicality and songwriting. “Think of this release as a re-introduction to us,” of Mercury explains. “This release is a statement from us that we’re growing, we’re changing: a foretaste of what the album is going to be.”
Gleaming with funkier, hip-hop-leaning sounds and edgy production techniques, both tracks assert something that has been proven from the early stages of their career: they’re technically impressive as musicians, but they never let the stylistic explorations get in the way of their soulful, confessional storytelling.
Focus track “I’M FINE” is a tangible proof of the band’s insistence to write songs that come from a place of earnestness. According to of Mercury, it’s a song about moving on and picking one’s self up from all the internal brokenness, even after being betrayed by someone who used to be important. “It was one of the biggest heartbreaks we’ve ever witnessed as a band,” the Fake Love act shares in a statement. “When we wrote this, we had this realization that we’re actually fine now and we don’t really care about the people that hurt us already.”
The song was written, arranged, and produced by of Mercury with no general idea of how it’s going to come out. While it sounds polished with the right balance of organized dissonance and pop sensibility, “I’M FINE” is one of the those tracks that didn’t really have a direction or a goal, but all the sonic elements blend together seamlessly to create something that is familiar yet uniquely of Mercury.
“The writing was fine because we knew where to pull from, but when we got into the production, we couldn’t think of how we wanted this to sound sonically,” of Mercury admits. “We have to start from somewhere, so we randomly thought a bunch of elements onto the song, and continued throwing ideas with no pegs, no direction, whatsoever. This is the same reason why we’re starting off with this track, it was really an unknown space for us and we’re just really happy we were able to pull it off, and that everyone genuinely enjoyed this process.”
of Mercury’s new single “I’M FINE” also features Michael Flores a.k.a. Filipino rapper Hijo, who in turn, spat bars with incredible range and energy. “Hijo had a great sense of how to work with others and how to keep the vibe relaxed and fun,” says the alternative quartet. “Working with Hijo reflected how much we enjoy working with others, especially when we get the ball rolling. Everyone just bounces off each other’s ideas, expressions, opinions. It’s where we all do our best; it’s a great feeling to have with everyone.”
This particular project also marks a reunion with former bandmate Karlo Maglasang (knōwmaad) who used to play bass for the band. “To have him around after not working together for a while really brought a different view on what we were doing. We also felt like, it’s as if he never left at all. Everything felt natural and everyone was on the same wavelength.”
A music video for “I’M FINE” will be released soon.
“I’M FINE” and “HEAVEN ON EARTH” are part of the two-track volume, CHANGIN’ Vol. 1, which serves as a reintroduction of a ‘new’ old band who have found themselves reconnecting for the same goals, despite having difficulties in compromising from the beginning of their journey. By changing their moniker to of Mercury, the acclaimed quartet is ready to start a new milestone in music and get things together with a common set of values.
In a statement posted across social networking platforms, the band cited their creative and personal disagreements as the two main reasons of the initial fallout, which caused the hiatus. At some point, the band decided to take a step back, work on their differences internally, and restart anew under a name that they feel would represent them better as artists.
“The name (of Mercury) change brought a sense of unity within us, and we didn’t want to be exclusive about it,” of Mercury shares. “Yes, we’re part of this, but we want the people we get to work with and those who support this thing we’re doing to have a certain position to say that they are a part ‘of Mercury.’ It’s all about the bigger picture.”
of Mercury’s CHANGIN’ Vol. 1 is out now on all digital music platforms worldwide via Sony Music Philippines.
