mercury - Swarm the Hive Mind [EP]
For mercury – the project architected by Maddie Kerr – songwriting is a form of survival, a means of finding clarity in an often cruel world. Hailing from the rural outskirts of Franklin, Tennessee, music is everything she’s known dating back to the day 22 years ago when Mazzy Star’s “Fade Into You” blasted as she was born.
2024 has seen Kerr team up with coveted producer Alex Farrar (Wednesday, Snail Mail, Indigo de Souza) to record and release a string of new songs born from another kind of place; an especially difficult period of personal hardship. First manifested through her ambitious EP Together We Are One You And I, followed by her recent trilogy of singles in “Swarm The Hive Mind,” “What You Want Me To Say,” and “The Fly,” she’s zeroed in on the pieces of life that can drag you through the mud. With an iridescent sound that can feel both mammoth and soft-spoken, mercury floats between sludgy grunge, post-rock and radiant indie rock as she looks inward.
Together We Are One, You And I – a collection of songs comprised of “Born in Early May,” “Special,” and “Crick” – wanders through the depths of human suffering and emerges resilient. Accompanied by a monumental three-part extended music-short film directed by Harrison Shook, infinite black voids, spiritual iconography, and the scarlet glow of embers and flames define the visual project, which follows Kerr and a cast of characters from all different walks of life. Through narrative vignettes, contemporary dance, and poetic abstractions, these individuals are understood to be connected by grief, pain, and loss.
“Born in Early May” was a personal breakthrough for Kerr, the beginning of chipping through an emotional block. “It was the first time in a while I’ve allowed myself to put my emotions into words and to tell myself that it’s okay, I’m allowed to be hurt,” she says. The EP pushes Kerr’s fiery rock songwriting toward cathartic new heights and “Born in Early May” sets the stage for what’s to come. A thrashing opening track, despairing images of ground-down teeth and a lecherous bird of prey are elevated by raw, pummeling guitar and Kerr’s riveting vocals.
The second song of the trio, “Special,” opens with a scene of surrender: “Removed my clothes/The color left my face/Lowered my body into the water.” Nature and elemental wonder are recurring motifs for Kerr, resonating deeply throughout the bones of mercury’s introductory singles “Woolgathering” and “Trying,” which debuted late last year. In “Special,” Kerr once again finds solace in underwater depths. “When I think about being in a dark place mentally, it feels like I’m suspended in the deepest part of the ocean with nothing around me.” In this peaceful purgatory, far from other people, Kerr nurses her wounds and admits a universal human desire atop sparse ambiance: “I wanna be something to you/I wanna be special too.”
If “Born in Early May” looks outward, “Crick” directs its gaze inward for the finale of “Together We Are One, You And I.” “When I was writing ‘Crick’ I was angry at myself for not being able to say what I meant in moments where I really needed to,” Kerr says. “I was angry at other people for not giving me the opportunity to speak for myself, but part of that was because I had waited too long to get my own words together.” Mounted with towers of guitars, the song hurtles toward a tremendously grungy conclusion that acts as a reminder: sometimes noise can convey an inner chaos beyond words.
It’s a sense of self-reflection, and subsequent relinquishing to the cascading waves of adversity that come into focus as we grow older. “Writing these songs has been part of a journey of figuring out my emotions and telling myself that it’s okay to feel that way, to talk about it, to write about it,” Kerr says.
Having made early noise with last year’s releases of her standalone singles “Trying” and “Woolgathering” – the full force of Kerr is now ready to rear its head in 2025 following the releases of Together We Are One You And I, “Swarm The Hive Mind,” “What You Want Me To Say,” and “The Fly”. With attention continuing to pour in from the likes of Nylon, Paste Magazine, Rolling Stone, Office Magazine, Brooklyn Vegan, FLOOD Magazine, Under The Radar, Billboard and FLOOD.FM, mercury’s latest tracks are like hands reaching out through the darkness, offering companionship on your own journey through despair.