London-based duo MRCY return with ‘Wandering Attention’, the latest taste of their forthcoming project VOLUME 2, due for release on May 30, 2025 via Dead Oceans.
“Perhaps the most exciting new act to appear from the UK this year so far” – Wonderland
“Feels like a genuine *I was there* moment…destined for greatness”-Rolling Stone
“Psychedelic soul at its most ensnaring”– Sunday Times
“Ambitious, emotionally charged…helps us fathom life’s confusion”– NME
“Triumphant and dynamic…MRCY are quickly landing themselves on every music enthusiast’s radar”– Clash
“Baton-carriers of genre-bending contemporary soul”– DIY
MRCY – Wandering Attention (Official Video)
Landing alongside a Béni Masial a directed performance video, ‘Wandering Attention’ is a swaggering soulful missive with an antic spirit and a big, vibrant sound. It’s one of the more gutsy tracks on their upcoming project with powerfully heavy lyrics about their upbringing as MRCY explain: “The song reflects on the hometowns we grew up in, touching on some of the more difficult aspects—both environmental and emotional. It explores the idea that, while those experiences are a part of who we are, they don’t wholly define us. We’ve grown and changed as individuals since then.”
In dark and difficult times, the music of Barney Lister and Kojo Degraft-Johnson lifts us up. As MRCY, across the eight tracks of VOLUME 2, 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 , which blended Kojo’s ecstatic vocals andBarney’s masterful analogue production, showcased MRCY’s lightning-in-a-bottle chemistry, VOLUME 2 builds from there to a collection that is more sophisticated, thematic, and definitely more modern, exploring love, self-discovery, and healing.
“We’re trying to extinguish fear with optimism and worry with love,” Barney says, on confronting the many crises of modern life in their new release. “VOLUME 2 breaks the mould to present a bigger picture of who we are–something with angst, surprises and more guts.”
The 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 sound system culture from an early age before going on to produce and collaborate with everyone from vocalist Obongjayarto 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.
Following the release of VOLUME 1 last year, MRCY earned a nomination for Rising Star at the Rolling Stone Awards, were named one of DIY’s Class of 2025 and Rolling Stone’s Ones to Watch. The duo also embarked on a UK and EU tour with US soul group Black Pumas and sold out their headline show at London’s Jazz Café, honing an assertive stage presence that channels tight-knit classic soul ensembles in the process. They stormed the festival season-All Points East, GreatEscape, Green Man, End of the Road, Iceland Airwaves, PitchforkParis, ESNS-and picked up support across Radio 1, 6Music and Apple Music (including Zane Lowe, Elton John and Guy Garveyshout-outs). At the heart of the band is the opposites-attract chemistry of Barney and Kojothemselves, two hugely distinct and multi-talented personalities with the confidence to step out of the shadows and show a little MRCY.
VOLUME 2 DUE FOR RELEASE ON MAY 30, 2025 VIA DEAD OCEANS. PRE-SAVE HERE
Tracklisting:
1. Angels
2. Wanna Know (Ontario)
3. Man
4. Sierra
5. Flicker
6. Wandering Attention
7. Fear
8. More Than You Are Now
