Rebellious spirit infuses Worried Sick, the Anna Laverty-produced debut LP by Meres (pronounced like cares).
Thanks to spiky, metallic riffs, unabating drums, fervent vocals and grunge-like dynamic interplay, this Lutruwita (Northern Tasmania) quartet brings The Breeders to mind.
Frontperson Mary Shannon (also of Dvrkworld) was “raised by a librarian”, which tracks; her vocab is bountiful and lyrics read like powerful poetry. “This mild indifference/ Masquerading as confidence” – such accomplished wordsmithery!
Check out our gig guide, our festival guide, our live music venue guide and our nightclub guide. Follow us on Instagram here.
“I can’t seem to give a fuck” – courageously unbothered opener Ocean View careens along like a bobsleigh race, with thrilling twists – including surprise lush harmonies – offsetting frenetic guitar work. This one’s about climate dread and the need to give a fuck about life beyond your own.
Shannon opens Building Humans in lamentation mode: “This trail runs hollow/ Coming in as second best/ Calm down and take it steady, convinced it was counterfeit…”
“Don’t get jaded…” – of Quiet Australians, Shannon has said, “It’s about caring too much and not enough at the same time – and overthinking both”; you’ll be humming those propulsive, insistent riffs after just one listen.
Queens escalates rapidly from gently-strummed guitar intro into the first chorus: “Wear me out till I’m sore/ Have you had enough yet?”
Unapologetic, the penultimate She bursts in like a combative takeover. Then the closing Weak Knees starts off vulnerable, with sparse drums and hushed vocals: “And through it all I will stay/ A willing captive.” Descending guitar squall invades before paring right back to pensive strums – allowing some light to pass through and softly leaving us to collect ourselves.
A snarling beast of an album, Worried Sick doubles as existential therapy for overthinkers.
