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Photo by Elizabeth Marsh

mercury, the rising Tennessee-based artist born Maddie Kerr, has returned with her brand new single “Swarm The Hive Mind” today. Teaming back up with revered indie rock producer, Alex Farrar (MJ Lenderman, Snail Mail), mercury stretches to new heights of her experimental rock voyage. 

Built on a post-rock foundation of swirling, gauzy noise, the heart of “Swarm the Hive Mind” beats in the rich, fuzzed-out bass line. Its cyclical, distorted descent leans the track toward metal, while mercury’s voice enters the fairground with her signature ethereal haunt. She counteracts the guttural lows of the track, while bolstering the moments of softening – like when a nearly disco hi-hat line brings the track a breeze of indie pop. 

Mercury began her exploration on this sound with her impressive three-track EP and short film, Together We Are One, You and I, a speculative on human suffering that wandered beyond the bounds of indie rock. Just as “Swarm the Hive Mind” continues to break out of mercury’s previous outfits in genre, the song’s message also lies in a rebellion against the status quo. Paired with the gritty sonic palette, mercury’s defiant lyrics resonate even deeper. 

Alongside the single’s release, mercury lends listeners a fittingly artistic music video. Symbols of mundane human experiences melt into dystopian chaos, all tied together by electronic glitches that threaten to take over. It’s a perfectly science fiction companion to the very real horrors outlined in the song. 

An unstoppable visionary, it’s clear that “Swarm the Hive Mind” is just the beginning of mercury’s next journey. Check out the song below: