Without tabbing the song, and without access to the chords, I’m going to take a wild guess and assume that ‘Before’ by London-based ‘Americana-kissed’ indie four-piece My Mercury alternates between G and D. What is it about these two perennial pop chords that make for such epic songs? Bowie’s ‘Heroes’ and REM’s ‘Everybody Hurts’ come to mind – songs cherished, buried deep in people’s hearts. Songs that save lives.
A few years ago, as I drove through the Cairngorms with my wife and then very young children, the shimmering beginning of ‘Blue Skies’ by the sadly-disbanded Noah and the Whale set my spine alight. We were surrounded by green hills and blue skies, and everything was beauty and hope. Driving under the influence of music isn’t illegal, but some bands may force a judicial review.
My Mercury themselves acknowledge the Noah and the Whale comparison, and count bands such as Big Thief, Bright Eyes and Wilco as personal favourites. They’ve released two EPs and will be releasing several singles between now and the release of their debut album in February.
‘Before’ is your cue to start saving coins for some new records. It has the wide-eyed wonder and gathering momentum of all the best Springsteen songs, with achingly gentle lyrics like: “Full moon’s bright to look at / It blurs out all the stars / There’s a path through the tumbleweed / Beyond the light of the car.” Two thirds of the way in, the bass becomes almost funky, and we hear happy, presumably shiny people in the background. ‘Before’ manages to be both maudlin and ecstatic in a ‘Mr Brightside’ way, and that is reason alone for you to own a copy of the song after you have read this review.
‘Before’ is out now via Bandcamp
My Mercury: Bandcamp | Instagram
Review by Neil Laurenson
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