It’s fresh music Fridays once again! Giving millennials more reasons to have #feels this weekend, four-piece Nathan & Mercury recently released two new music videos and a brand new single just after they announced their stint at Music Matters 2019 in Singapore.
With intricate sounds that blend modern rock arrangements with pop, R&B, gospel, hip-hop, soul, blues, and jazz, Nathan & Mercury have been making their way through bigger stages, reaching a wider audience through time. For those who haven’t heard their songs yet, keep reading as we show you what we love about their freshest tracks!
So much #feels with ‘FOOLS’
The first treat came in the form of the Fools music video – a visually arresting piece that follows a non-linear format. “The song in itself is very emotional,” says Nathan Huang, N&M’s lead singer and guitarist. “Through the song, we were able to hear heavy emotions. This time, through the video, we wanted to visualize what those emotions are.”
Released as a single last year, Fools has garnered nearly a million streams on Spotify and YouTube combined, achieving instant success even without an album release.
It’s quite relatable, especially at our age when a lot of people make a fool out of themselves for the sake of love. “Times have changed, but it’s now too late, rushing my heart when I could have just waited”. Same feelings, guys. Too accurate not to stream and share.
A visual treat with ‘RUMOURS’ MV
On the same day, the band also released their latest single – Rumours. Written as a direct response to the ever-so-thriving culture of gossip, tattletales, and fake news, the band’s funky pop jam thumps over instrumentation with renewed energy and starry-eyed groove, showcasing their looser, more confident side. The music video is so visually pleasing with mundane objects turned into one-of-a-kind musical instruments!
“It’s a spell of rant coming from someone who is tired of all the lies,” shares drummer Daniel Monong.
The music video of Rumours shows bits and pieces of a story without much explanation, to which bassist Angelo sison explains: “We wanted to emulate what it would be like to hear a rumor. We did that by depriving the viewers of the whole picture.”
The music video is helmed by Kevin Mayuga, the director behind Chicosci’s Buzzin, Moonwlk’s Prefer, and Nathan & Mercury’s very own Fools.
“We trust him enough to get the job done,” guitarist Alex Samonte shared. “Initially, we briefed him on the Fools MV only, but along the process we thought it would be nice to have him on board for Rumours MV as well since we saw how prepared and committed he is since meeting #1 and so on.”
Way before the release of its studio version, the live performance of Rumours has earned the band a nomination in the MYX Music Awards 2019 for Bandarito Performance of the Year.
Why Nathan & Mercury?
Originally intended as a solo project by Nathan Huang, the four-piece outfit came together by accident through Nathan’s birthday gig.
“I got them for a one-time gig, but we saw how we all worked together and realized that the sound felt fresh,” Nathan pointed out. “After an exchange of ideas, we eventually decided to create music together.”
Nathan Huang (guitars and vocals) eventually recruited Angelo Sison on bass, Alex Samonte on guitars, and Daniel Monong on drums to perform as Nathan & Mercury, whose moniker was inspired by one of his late-night drives with musician-friend Tim Marquez of One Click Straight.
“I was talking to my friend, Tim, and we were trying to figure out a good name for the band on the way home from school,” Nathan said. “As we were exiting the Skyway via Sucat, we saw a Mercury Drug store sign. And that inspired me to add Mercury in the band name.” Karlo Maglasang was part of the band until 2018, performing bass duties and contributing in the process of creating songs during the initial sessions.
You can now stream their latest single on Spotify, YouTube, Deezer, and other streaming/download platforms. That’s another OPM band to add to your playlist! For more details on the newest artists that we’re following, keep checking updates on the blog and on Manila Millennial‘s social media pages – Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
See you at gigs around the Metro! 😉