MRCY formed in England in 2021 with a clear idea in mind, to fuse classic Rn’B songwriting with contemporary textures and production. It is a formula that once worked wonders for artists like Seal, Gnarls Barkley or Anderson .Paak, and in the hands of MRCY it feels both respectful and forward looking. Their thirty minute opening set for Durand Jones & The Indications at Le Trianon in Paris offered a concise introduction to their world.
At the core are producer and multi instrumentalist Barney Lister’s songs, tightly structured yet spacious enough to let vocalist Kojo Degraft Johnson’s voice shine. Johnson moves with ease between smooth phrasing and full throated soul, his tone both supple and commanding. Dominic Canning aka DoomCannon’s keys and programming wrap the material in a sleek modern sheen without draining it of warmth, while Jerome Johnson's beats remain funky and propulsive, pushing the grooves forward with club ready momentum.
It is music built for movement, songs that carry the emotional weight of soul but the pulse of the dance floor... MRCY sketches a convincing blueprint for where the genre might head next, grounded in tradition yet unafraid of modernity.
