New Artist Highlight: Hasten Mercy Channels 90s Indie Pop With New EP ‘These Issues’ [Global Heist] [Video]

Michael Baker is definitely not a brand new artist. He’s not even new to Your EDM, as we’ve featured his group Head Pretend and their new wave type beforehand. Baker’s new solo venture, Hasten Mercy, is new, nevertheless, and extra EDM-focused. With the primary EP, These Issues laced with Blissful Mondays-style rave pop, heavier, future bass/dubstep vibes and a great deal of ambient sound design and synth work, it feels like Baker’s testing the waters for his breakout solo type.

With a transparent love for early electronica as is evidenced by Head Pretend, the primary observe on Baker’s first Hasten Mercy launch it “Star You Are,” a 90s Brit poptronica-inspired romp whose fundamental piano and synth work is such an homage to the Mondays’ “Step On” that one may even mistake Baker for a way more melodic and fewer psychedelic Shaun Ryder. The content material contained within the lyrics can be fairly a bit extra uplifting and inclusive. It’s an attention-grabbing opener, however definitely bridges the hole effectively from Head Pretend’s new wave to the extra fashionable tracks on These Issues.

Following “Star You Are” is “I Break Every thing,” the way more introspective and self-deprecating but in addition extra fashionable ballad-style pop observe with lashings of drone and ambient synth work behind the tender digital organ driving the vocal melody. It turns into clear from “I Break Every thing” that the tracks on These Issues are thematically, if not musically linked. The lyrics of “Star You Are” being so expansive juxtaposed with these of “I Break Every thing” coming again all the way down to earth and expressing the issue with relationships and the concern of emotional intimacy regardless of that expansive philosophical capacity. How does one reconcile macro and mirco? Only a few of us are true masters. Baker’s vocals in these tracks doesn’t fake to resolve this downside; simply hopes others can relate.

These Issues closes with the title observe additionally essentially the most EDM-heavy observe, and the connection and theme of the EP turns into much more clear. The hardly audible backing drone synth from “I Break Every thing” carries into “These Issues” and takes a extra outstanding position. Nonetheless pop within the sense that it’s composed with the lyrics being the driving drive, “These Issues” reveals Baker’s mastery of synth and sound design, this observe would match proper in at a rave as break music and is begging to be remixed. Additionally fairly introspective and centered on the slings and arrows of social interplay, the difficulties of connecting with others and the necessity to join regardless of nervousness and nervousness is one thing even essentially the most extroverted of social butterflies can definitely relate to after two years of isolation.

Removed from coming full circle, Baker’s lyrical observations in These Issues don’t have any reply regardless of the expansive tone of “Star You Are.” Relatively, they’re a continuation of not simply Hasten Mercy’s however the collective dialog about all of the completely different aspects of being human. As we roll into the brand new yr and the doable third yr of COVID, it’s good to recollect everybody’s reconciling the expansive with the grounded, the chic with the worldly. It’s a wierd trip humankind is on, however it’s additionally in some way noble. These Issues are everybody’s issues, and the purpose may merely be the journey, so we would as effectively discover them.

These Issues is out now and may be streamed on Spotify. Take a look at Head Fake’s YouTube for extra synths and movies.