Today, indie-grunge artist mercury releases “Together We Are One, You And I” — a wild short film directed by Harrison Shook and new three-song project produced by Alex Farrar (who’s also worked with Wednesday, Snail Mail, Waxahatchee).
Tonight, mercury performs at DC9 to open Dreamer Boy on Friday, June 7. Arrive early for mercury!
mercury — the Franklin, Tennessee-based project architected by Maddie Kerr — presents a trio of songs: “Born in Early May,” “Special,” and “Crick,” which float between sludgy grunge and iridescent indie rock as they wander through the depths of human suffering and emerge resilient. Infinite black voids, spiritual iconography, and the scarlet glow of embers and flames define the visual companion to the music, following Kerr and a cast of characters from different walks of life through narrative vignettes, contemporary dance, and poetic abstractions.
Watch “Together We Are One, You and I,” a short film by mercury, on YouTube:
For mercury, songwriting is a form of survival, a means of finding clarity in an often cruel world. It’s everything Kerr has known dating back to the day 22 years ago when Mazzy Star’s “Fade Into You” blasted as she was born.
“Together We Are One, You And I” was born from another kind of place; a uniquely difficult period of personal hardship.
“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,” said Kerr of “Born in Early May,” the pummeling opening track that served as a breakthrough for her, the beginning of chipping through an emotional block.
“Together We Are One, You And I” arrives in tandem with a handful of new summer live dates for mercury: a June tour in support of Dreamer Boy that will kick off this weekend in DC, followed by a pair of headlining performances at The Blue Room at Nashville’s Third Man Records and their Los Angeles debut at Gold-Diggers in August.
mercury
Opening Dreamer Boy
DC9
Friday, June 7
Doors @ 7pm
$18/$22
All ages