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about
MRCY are producer Barney Lister and vocalist Kojo Degraft-Johnson. Hailing from different ends of England and disparate cultures, theirs is a space of soulful self-expression that combines the timeless musical warmth and social consciousness of Marvin Gaye with the genre-melding, modern sensibility of Anderson .Paak and SAULT. “It’s like hearing a distant memory,” Barney says. “But one that speaks to where you are now.”
MRCY first connected over Instagram in the pandemic before meeting in Brixton, where they immediately found common ground in their time spent hustling behind the scenes. Hailing from Huddersfield’s thriving soundsystem culture, Barney has established himself as one of the UK’s most in-demand producers, with collaborations ranging from Ivor-Award-winning work with Obongjayar to Mercury-nominated records with Joy Crookes and Olivia Dean. South London-raised Kojo, meanwhile, earned his stripes in church as well as singing with equally-illustrious homegrown artists like Cleo Sol and Little Simz. MRCY’s music reverberates with individual perspectives, but also reminds how those common experiences of graft, grit and abandon have always been able to bring crowds - or a new band - together through tough times.
Debut single ‘Lorelei’ exemplifies MRCY’s method of viewing Soul through the contemporary looking glass. It is the first introduction to the duo’s deep, undeniable chemistry, combining musical weight, commanding vocals and otherworldly touches to produce songs that feel as personal as they are deeply universal. For Barney and Kojo, the band is as much about putting yourself first as it is the spirit of compassion, empathy and m(e)rcy that has never felt more needed. Soul, says Barney, is “good people making music that matters.” And together, MRCY offer a blissful respite from and an intoxicating soundtrack to the madness, the magic, of the everyday.
credits
released February 6, 2024
Written by: | Barney Lister, Kojo Degraft-Johnson, Jonny Lattimer
Vocals: | Kojo Degraft-Johnson
BV's | Kojo Degraft-Johnson, Elisa Oakes, Amelia Dare, Nectar Woode, Renee Jackson
Guitar: | Barney Lister
Drums: | Yusuf Ahmed
Percussion: | Barney Lister
Synths: | Barney Lister
Keyboards: | Barney Lister
Piano: | Sam Vernon Beste
Bass: | Barney Lister
Trombone | James Wade-Sired
Flugel | Aaron Wood
Trumpet | Aaron Wood
Baritone Saxophone | Anna Chandler
Tenor Saxophone | Anna Chandler
Engineered by: | Nick Taylor
Strings credit: | String Arrangements written by Rosie Danvers and Performed by Wired Strings
Violins: | Patrick Kiernan
Raja Halder
Hayley Pomfrett
Charis Jenson
Steve Morris
Jenny Sacha
Natalia Bonner
Violas: | Jordon Bergmans
Bryony Mycroft
Cellos: | Bryony James
Rosie Danvers
Produced by: | Barney Lister
Engineered by: | Richie Kennedy, Barney Lister
Mixed by: | Lee Smith
Mixed at: | Greenmount Studios
Mastered by: | Matt Colton
Mastered at: | Metropolis
Recorded at: | Beef Cake & Co
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