{"title":"MRCY","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"volume-1-4","title":"Volume 1","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMRCY\u003c\/strong\u003e are producer \u003cstrong\u003eBarney Lister\u003c\/strong\u003e and vocalist \u003cstrong\u003eKojo Degraft-Johnson\u003c\/strong\u003e. 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 \u003cem\u003eMarvin Gaye\u003c\/em\u003e with the genre-melding, modern sensibility of \u003cem\u003eAnderson .Paak\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eSault\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e“It’s like hearing a distant memory,” \u003cstrong\u003eBarney\u003c\/strong\u003e says. “But one that speaks to where you are now.” \u003cstrong\u003eMRCY\u003c\/strong\u003e first connected over Instagram in the pandemic before meeting up IRL in Brixton, where they immediately found common ground in their time spent hustling behind the scenes.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eHailing from Huddersfield’s thriving soundsystem culture, \u003cstrong\u003eBarney\u003c\/strong\u003e has established himself as one of the UK’s most in-demand producers, with collaborations ranging from Ivor-Award-winning work with \u003cem\u003eObongjayar\u003c\/em\u003e to Mercury-nominated records with \u003cem\u003eJoy Crookes\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eOlivia Dean\u003c\/em\u003e. South London-raised \u003cstrong\u003eKojo\u003c\/strong\u003e, meanwhile, earned his stripes in church as well as singing with equally-illustrious homegrown artists like \u003cem\u003eCleo Sol\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eLittle Simz\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMRCY\u003c\/strong\u003e’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 ‘\u003cem\u003eLorelei\u003c\/em\u003e’ exemplifies \u003cstrong\u003eMRCY\u003c\/strong\u003e’s method of viewing Soul through the contemporary looking glass. Their project, \u003cem\u003eVolume 1\u003c\/em\u003e, artfully combines musical weight, commanding vocals and otherworldly touches to produce songs that feel as personal as they are deeply universal.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFor \u003cstrong\u003eBarney\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong\u003eKojo\u003c\/strong\u003e, 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 \u003cstrong\u003eBarney\u003c\/strong\u003e, is “good people making music that matters.” And from the very first line of standout single ‘\u003cem\u003eR.L.M.\u003c\/em\u003e’ - “London rain on the window \/ I don’t care where we’re gonna go \/ I’m good with you” - \u003cstrong\u003eMRCY\u003c\/strong\u003e offer a blissful respite from and an intoxicating soundtrack to the madness, the magic, of the everyday.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Dead Oceans","offers":[{"title":"Green LP","offer_id":50787381051723,"sku":"2216473","price":34.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/Volume_1_AlbumArt_1_69f33963_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1731116193"},{"product_id":"volume-6","title":"Volume 2","description":"\u003cp\u003eLondon-based duo MRCY returns with \u003cem\u003eVolume 2\u003c\/em\u003e, a companion follow-up to their acclaimed \u003cem\u003eVolume 1\u003c\/em\u003e from last year. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLead track 'Man' blends vibrant afrobeat polyrhythms with jazz-inflected flourishes. MRCY—comprised of vocalist Kojo Degraft-Johnson and producer\/multi-instrumentalist Barney Lister—deliver a track that is as thought-provoking as it is sonically infectious, questioning the ways masculinity can evolve for the better: “Being a man in this world is complicated, and it can feel like a battle to stay open and kind,” Kojo explains. “That’s why this track has that relentless battle groove—it mirrors the fight to lead with love and integrity.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBarney adds, “The lyrics ‘Move out the dark and lead with light \/ Fight for the love a thousand times’ really encapsulate what we wanted to say. Change is a collective effort, and we need to come together to redefine what it means to be a man.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn dark and difficult times, the music of Barney and Kojo lifts us up. As MRCY, across the eight tracks of \u003cem\u003eVolume 2\u003c\/em\u003e, they deliver on their premise of emotive music that surprises as much as it comforts, referencing timeless sounds as much as a sense of the cutting edge. If their debut release, 2024’s \u003cem\u003eVolume 1,\u003c\/em\u003e which blended Kojo’s ecstatic vocals and Barney’s masterful analogue production, showcased MRCY’s lightning-in-a-bottle chemistry, \u003cem\u003eVolume 2\u003c\/em\u003e builds from there to a collection that is more sophisticated, thematic, and definitely more modern, exploring love, self-discovery, and healing. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe duo’s innate confidence in each other stems from their impressive musical pedigree. Barney grew up in Huddersfield and was introduced to the Yorkshire town’s soundsystem culture from an early age before going on to produce and collaborate with everyone from vocalist Obongjayar to popstar Rina Sawayama, Mercury Prize-nominees Joy Crookes, Olivia Dean and Celeste and Glaswegian soul singer, Joesef. Kojo, meanwhile, draws on his South London Church-going background with a mighty vocal power that references gospel emotion, choral harmony and the catalogue of soul greats like Sam Cooke and Aretha Franklin. Earning his stripes on London’s jam circuit, he has since provided vocals for Cleo Sol, Little Simz, Jungle and Liam Gallagher. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"UTF-8\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Dead Oceans","offers":[{"title":"LP - Yellow","offer_id":51347092406603,"sku":"R4175-2249","price":27.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"LP - Yellow | Rough Trade Exclusive Sleeve","offer_id":51347298386251,"sku":"R4175-6672","price":27.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":51352016191819,"sku":"R4175-4452","price":11.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/08c657f7-102c-3f54-a958-d3f75844f37e.jpg?v=1740660316"}],"url":"https:\/\/shop.roughtrade.com\/de\/collections\/mrcy.oembed","provider":"Rough Trade","version":"1.0","type":"link"}