The Mercury Riots debut album ‘In Solstice‘ (review here) is released today! Plus a killer video single ‘LA Girls‘ turns even the most fucked up day into bad hair day!
That’s right, your personal awesome-vibe-summer-record has just landed – hard and heavy. With the deep, raunchy growl of a classic big block V8 and the throaty howl of a true Louisiana blues wolf, The Mercury Riots are back bigger and heavier than ever. If you’re having a fucked up day, these guys are just the right mechanics to fix it for you, as just one spin of the RIOTS’ brand new record ‘In Solstice‘ will make you feel peachy and ready to roll again. Disclaimer: Your hair might disagree, it will most certainly suck when the boogie is over. That can easily be circumvented, though! Just don’t let it be over, the Repeat Button exists for a reason. With The Mercury Riots, it’s so effective in messing up bangs, mullets and skullets, we should rename it the Bad Hair Button.
Speaking of hair… Back in the heydays of good hair, i.e. the hairy days, the Bad Hair Button was oftentimes a really sick button combo that only the best of all pre-party video jockeys were able to master: Rewind – pray – play! If the prayers were heard, VHS audiences got to experience video goodness like this (minus the brilliantly luxurious sound, of course):
Whether you just want all your hair back or you’re thinking about spending that spare pocket money for your very first razor, chances are you won’t come back here to continue reading, as YouTube does feature a quick to use Bad Hair Button after all. Just in case you did return anyway: The full album ‘In Solstice‘ is out now! It’s available in digital form and as a Gatefold CD, with a Gatefold Vinyl Edition in the pipeline for the following days. And since today is the day of summer solstice – the longest day of the year that’s nervously nested in the shortest nights –, you won’t get much sleep anyway. Could as well just go out and have fun, right? Wait! Don’t forget to take a healthy dose of LA muscle rock with you.
Stream ‘In Solstice‘ – here
Feeling lost and no idea where to go? No problem, we got you (and your besties) covered:
European Tour Dates 2024 – more to come!
July 5 – Bomber Fest – Motala, Sweden
July 6 – Alive Festival – Borlange, Sweden
July 12 – Kungstradgarden – Stockholm, Sweden
July 13 – Kristianstad Rockfest – Kristianstad, Sweden
July 21 – Cowboy Und Indianer – Hamburg, Germany
July 22 – Cowboy Und Indianer – Hamburg, Germany
July 23 – Cowboy Und Indianer – Hamburg, Germany
July 25 – Plobannalec – Lesconil, France
July 26 – Port de Lesconil – Penmarch, France
July 29 – Wacken Festival – LGH Clubstage – Wacken, Germany
Aug 3 – Skogsrojet Festival – Rejmyre, Sweden
Aug 10 – Malmo Festival – Rock Stage – Malmo, Sweden
Aug 14 – Vasteras Officersmass – Vasteras, Sweden
Aug 16 – Billy Bootleggers – Nottingham, UK
Aug 17 – Gifford Arms – Wolverhampton, UK
Aug 18 – Vinyl Tap – Preston, UK
Aug 23 – Musikhuset – Gavle, Sweden
Aug 24 – Suomi Live – Tornio, Finland
Aug 31 – Eksjo Stadsfest – Eksjo, Sweden
So who the fuck are these guys, who won the prestigious HRH Award in the Rising Stars category only two years after getting together as a band in the middle of a pandemic? Simple answer: killer musicians, and highly sought after guns for hire in the pulsating protoplasma of the L.A. heavy music scene.
And with the lockdowns taking away all means of getting their hands dirty and their bellies boozed up in a rich L.A. nightlife, the four best friends unceremoniously started their own gig: The Mercury Riots. But how come that they don’t just sound like your regular L.A. sleaze rockers, you may wonder.
The Mercury Riots are simply immune to such trends, as their individual cultural heritage truly makes for a gang of motley dogs, drawing inspiration from Metallica just as much as they do from, say, Muddy Waters or ZZ Top. Their style may have been nurtured and their friendship forged in the wild heart of Los Angeles but all their passion and the inclination towards virtuosity – well, each of them has brought those to the City Of Angels in their luggage: from New Orleans, where Justin Walker’s voice was born and raised to tune in to traditional southern blues, as to rock and metal.
From the vibrant city of Montevideo, Uruguay, where Fede Delfino learned to channel his fiery and passionate energy into buttery smooth bass lines and mesmerizing singing.
From the rough streets of Philadelphia, where Jonny Udell found his rhythm that he exported to the west coast so successfully early on, making his name as the ultimate drum machine.
And last but not least from Uruguay again – with Jonny’s long-term bandmate Felipe Rodrigo and his trusty guitar. Felipe became a musical nomad at a very young age, and embarked on a rock ‘n’ roll journey across the Americas. He and Jonny have successfully played together in the past. Drawing from the heavy punch of metal, they’ve been following the same vision ever since: reignite the boogie in rock ’n’ roll – just bolder and with elegance and stomp being plentiful, yet presented in a perfect equilibrium. That vision’s got a new name now!
And the quality of the sound is by no means a fluke either: Before heading out for a ginormous European tour later that year, The Mercury Riots flew to Vancouver, Canada, in 2023 to record In Solstice with no other than legendary producer/engineer Mike Fraser (AC/DC, Mrtallica, Aerosmith, Joe Satriani), who co-produced, mixed and engineered the album at The Warehouse Studio and Armoury Studios. While Mr. Fraser brilliantly captured all the powerful riffing, soulful vocals and pumping rhythms, the band decided to put the fine art of mastering in equally golden hands: It had to be Ryan Smith at Sterling Sound (The Black Keys, Greta Van Fleet, The National. Stating the obvious, the result sounds fuckin’ awesome!
Tracklist:
01. Make It
02. Be Yours
03. LA Girls
04. Sweet Melody
05. Take Me When You Go
06. Light It Up
07. Save Me A Drink
08. Scream It Out
09. 99 Degrees
10. Nobody Knows
Tour Dates:
July 6 – Alive Fest , Borlänge, Sweden
July 25 – Lesconil, France
July 26 – Kerity/ Penmarch, France
Aug 3rd – Skogsrojet Festival – Rejmyre, Sweden
Line-up:
Jonny Udell – Drums
Felipe Rodrigo – Guitar
Justin Walker – Vocals
Fede Delfino – Bass
ROCKPOSER DOT COM! 