Rating: NNNN
When you find yourself involuntarily banging your head 10 seconds into an album and the hard-rock fever doesn’t break until the end, that’s a very good sign. The Mercy Now describe their sound as a combination of garage rock and soul, which isn’t inaccurate but downplays the fist-pumping classic hard-rock influences that dominate the disc.
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And while plenty of Page and Plant influences abound, the local quartet’s rough-and-ready garage rock minimalism and classic-soul sex appeal set them apart from the average Led Zeppelin-worshipping bar band. Other moments evoke the MC5, Slade and Cheap Trick, if they’d come up through the punk scene. Can-rock icon Ian Blurton was at the controls for these sessions, and his no-frills, loud-as-fuck approach suits their vibe to a T.
An impressive debut from an act we’re sure to hear more about.
Top track: Hard Times
The Mercy Now release Self Control at the Silver Dollar Friday (October 22).