By Carlos Ramirez
Music genres are as fluid as everything else in life. The Mercy Stone has been on the path to finding the perfect balance of everythingness since 2017 and continue their journey with their latest single, “Unlocked,” released on February 18.
Previous tunes like “Can’t Think (Gave It Away, Pt. 1)” and “Above the Towers” made use of every voice in the room impressively. This time around, founding member and guitarist Scott Grady takes the helm with cadences that pair nicely with a groove that’ll get you moving.
And yet, “Unlocked” has something unnerving about it… perhaps a sense of urgency? The spooky synth reminiscent of a tiny singing alien might be the culprit. The Mercy Stone set out to connect the classical (or “art music”) to the contemporary with their metal-meets-Mozart jam “Ghettoblaster” and continue this trend by using the cello as the driving force in “Unlocked.”
One thing fans can expect from the California-based band is intentionality. The cello swells, echoes, and some careful panning put you right into the kaleidoscope they wrote this song inside of. The attention to detail makes sense, of course! They roll twelve deep with an ensemble comprised of music educators, accredited jazz musicians, and video game composers, so you know they’ve practiced their scales.
The music video has the viewer seeing double with fun “trippy” effects and layered images of the group in a live session, a common setting for their videos. In fact, they captured the claustrophobia the whole world was feeling in 2020 with their video for “Here and There,” which featured six of the musicians on the floor of a room singing by candlelight. Quite the contrast from the spinning cameras and color changing in the “Unlocked” video here in 2022.
The Mercy Stone winds and weaves through genres to build an alluring soundscape. A sprinkle of dream-rock, a pinch of lo-fi, and a handful of classically trained instrumentalists will do the trick.
Follow @themercystone on social media, YouTube and Spotify for more. Check out our Alchemical Weekly YouTube Playlist for more great music featured on the site.
Carlos Ramirez is a broadcaster from the DC region and lover of all things performance art with experience in theatre, television, and radio. Carlos believes one of the most important details that makes music magical is the culture. Supporting the artist is just as important as enjoying their art. Therefore, when he’s not on the air, you can find him at every open mic, hole in the wall, and basement show in town. @LosOnAir
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Alchemical Records is a Washington, D.C. based music publication. We cover the Washington, D.C., Baltimore and Richmond, VA metro area music scenes, including band interviews, articles about your favorite musicians, new music and concert dates.
