Setting the tone with an astral frequency and guitar strum, Shannon Hawley opens Mercy with poetic prowess and a narrative, as she sings her reality, laced with metaphors, as she tries to understand the ebbs and flows of life.
The opus expands with an authentic and ethereal nature as Shannon asks, “Can you hear me singing?”, before Nekter Gun shares his prose and perspective accompanied by textures drums and subtle harmonies.
We immediately appreciate the authenticity, fusing personal and social commentary from both artists. They have tangible depth as they share the story of “heartbreak that comes when someone dies young”.
She confesses, “This is a grief song, which is to say, it is a praise song. A praise song for the experience of being alive at all.”
We learn that the stadium ready creators have a perspective on their sound, which is unafraid to reference or not to reference Bruce Springsteen. Shannon shares with charisma, “I love this single because it has a clear rock sound. It’s relatable, and it’s a true collaboration between Nekter Gun and me.”
Nekter Gun, who is also known as Hector Gundlach, also produced the number, and we appreciate his expansive creative style which creates a vast and immersive energy, fused majestically with the vocals from both artists.
You can read Shannon Hawley’s in depth essay about the personal history of Mercy here, her written prose makes for an eloquent read as we learn more about the rising artists channelling their experience.
She leaves us with the words, “We all need more than a little mercy and grace in this human life. We all are called to something; to be ourselves, to heal ourselves, to love ourselves, to connect to our truth and feel the connectedness of all things.”
We appreciate the sentiment of what Shannon Hawley and Nekter Gun share with their message and plea for a kinder future. We have added Mercy to our New Music Spotlight playlist, whilst we continue to stream the wider discographies of both artists.