If in the first three minutes of research you find out the band you’re writing about is a female kraut-pop duo who have drawn comparisons to Kavinsky, it’s time to get pretty excited. In fact, you’d had to stop your research to have a shower and put on clean clothes. Not only that, MEZKO are the only piece missing from the Drive soundtrack puzzle. At this point you might be thinking we’ve formed an opinion without even listening to the damn band!
MEZKO make electronic that is mesemerising. With beautiful vocals and tinges of kraut and house that wouldn’t feel out of place on the Drive soundtrack, they are sure to induce heavy breathing.
MEZKO are Kat and Laura who met three years ago and now base themselves in Sydney, but can’t claim Kavinsky as an influence. “We actually had never listened to Kavinsky before so we had a listen straight away and really loved it” they say, “Pretty humbling to discover people are hearing something that resonates with them.”
Originally accompanied by a drummer and guitarist, the girls have paired it back since the new year and are making a bright start to their career on the back of songs like the oh so sweet Steady On (which we’ll discuss with glee later). They recently played the King Gizzard-curated Gizzfest, enjoying the experience immensely; “The Gizz guys did such a great job. It was one of the most exciting, electric and fun shows we have been a part of. Such warm fuzzy feelings when things like this happen.”
Steady On is the first song the ladies recorded when they transitioned from studio to home recording. They felt it gave them more freedom. “The space to have your vision for the song to come to fruition through your own work is so rewarding. We’ve always found working with producers can cloud the creative process because, as talented as they can be, it’s hard to find someone who really gets your ideas. To do it all yourself is one of the most liberating things any musician can do for themselves.” If you’re listening as you read this then we can all agree the process was a success.
Steady On is fucking amazing. From the very first beat, it’s such a confident organism that makes you want to work up the courage to engage it in conversation, because you know you could learn so much, and maybe even find love. Everything just works so well together, the slightly trance inducing beat behind the dirty but cool guitar line and the synth joining in.
In description it sounds busy but in reality it’s uncomplicated and gels seamlessly to create such a slick sound. This is before the chorus, which really emphasises the light, airy vocals that don’t necessarily portray a sense of innocence, as you might expect, but rather one of intrigue. As “steady on” is half-whispered, one can only think “But all I want to do is come closer”.
That’s the beauty of this song; every moment, every breathy word draws you in. Every new sound is like a tendril leading off to shadowy corners you can’t yet reach. So you follow, you follow everything in hypnotic wonder until all of a sudden you’re in your back garden and the song has disappeared like dissolving mist.
You realise it wasn’t really alive, that’s just what the talent of Kat and Laura were able to make you believe. Man, 3.36 doesn’t seem long enough, I wanted more. There’s something about female vocals layered over electronica that is irresistible, especially when it’s done this well.
This is a tangent but Steady On is a near perfect title. Three syllable words or phrases are the bomb. It might not quite be Cellar Door, but when it’s exhaled like scented smoke, it almost is. Suffice to say, MEZKO are a pretty cool and interesting band.
It’s no surprise because the girls stated they’re always looking for inspiration and nothing makes them happier than when they find it. “For us it’s stuff like a great trip to the beach, a cool conversation with an old or new friend, or learning about amazing people like Hedy Lamarr. She was a film star in the 1930-40’s but also invented the technology that ended up creating Wi-Fi.”
I love hearing what bands respond with when I ask them what animal they would be. For MEZKO it’s an Ocelot, a very small wild cat with a cloudy fur coat that was once considered extremely valuable. As a result thousands were once killed. Despite the horrific nature of this, that same obsessiveness flows through a person when they listen to Steady On. If you did enjoy MEZKO as much as me, you won’t have to wait long for more. The girls have confided they’ll have an exciting new track dropping early in July. Stay tuned.
