It’s always nice when a band aren’t afraid of entering the pop world, even if just a little bit. So often you see bands steering well clear of the chance of being defined as ‘pop’, as though the word will taint their chances of retaining maximum artistic credit. MEZKO know how to make pop cool, utilising all the ear-catching elements of mainstream pop and making them dark and interesting, but sparkling clean.
MEZKO embrace pop and send it into the stratosphere in their knob twiddling, bass shredding, synth brooding new clip for Golden.
MEZKO is the magical electronic dark-pop baby of Sydney’s Kat Harley and Laura Bailey. Equals parts kraut-rock and 80s noir-pop, the duo make mesmerising electronica. Recorded in their bedroom, their new single Golden is an evolution from their last single, Steady On. It shows the girls embracing the lighter side of electronica. Where Steady On was rough and brooding, Golden is smooth and ethereal. Their duel vocals compliment each other beautifully while drum machines and analog synthesizers mingle together in a hazy daydream.
The duo obviously have incredible chemistry. So many of their videos feature them face-to-face, working off each other as they swap instruments, furiously tapping at drum pads, synths and bass guitars. When they play together it seems as though nothing else matters. The clip for Golden is the perfect encapsulation of what the band are about. It has the same brooding tone as Steady On, insistent and unrelenting in its pace, but Golden has that irresistible pop sheen.
Dressed in matching black suits and turtle necks, the girls do their thing. The camera sweeps between their faces as they delicately work away at developing the track. In the way that Kraftwerk made a spectacle out of their process of creating their art, they are the centre piece of the clip. It’s mesmerising watching the duo creating something so magical, it’s all there, the drum pads and synths and guitars, and it seems so simple, but MEZKO are clearly a cut above the rest. The song glides through hooks as the girls murmur “And you can be, forever golden,” smokey and seductive.
The track is getting the cassette workout, with a short run of 50 coming out through Moontown Records. The girls have said the cassettes will feature an alluring B-side that tapers on the edge of Brian Eno and Kate Bush. They also have a bunch of shows coming up. The band were band picked by King Gizzard for Gizzfest, testament to their live show as being as mesmerising as their videos. Don’t miss them.
July 16th, Freda’s, Camperdown, Sydney
July 31st, Music & Melodrama, The Imperial, Erskineville, Sydney w/ Matt Format and Friends
August 29th, Volumes Festival, Oxford St, Sydney
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