Reading outfit Mellor have shared their new EP ‘Fragment Of Imagination’ alongside the blistering new video for ‘Vacant Stare’.
The indie rock quartet have enjoyed steady momentum since 2019 when ‘Dive Into The Strange’ found its way into the UK charts and were hotly tipped as an ICM Ones To Watch artist just a few months later.
‘Fragment Of Imagination’ looks to continue that run of good form with five tracks of fiery indie rock, crashing drums and punchy vocals. Kicking off with opening track ‘Cool, Calm, Deranged’, Mellor set the tone with a brilliant display of drama and energy.
Written about the media, particularly television, turning people into psychopaths, ‘Cool, Calm, Deranged’ is a heavy-hitting opener that sets the tone for the rest of the EP. From being force-fed scare tactics and violent dramas, where serial killers are glorified, they become immune to fear and shock – a wonderful hook-ladened, heavy-hitting opener for us.
‘Version of a Life’ ever so slightly picks up the pace in beats per minute, and on top of that, its Slaves-esque guitars are let out of their cages like lions ready for breakfast. The flickering licks and consistent beat makes ‘Version of a Life’ a classic head rocking, mosh pit fuelled rock anthem.
New single ‘Vacant Stare’ marks the halfway point in the EP. Sticking with a lyrical theme of hostile and trivial social media and other organisations, the track had come from “too many people having a ‘violent case of losing touch’ from actual life”.
Adding about the new track, Mellor said: “‘Vacant Stare’ is about becoming hostile and reliant on confrontation to feel good. It came from observing people arguing on social media about the most trivial subjects.”
To round off ‘Fragment of Imagination’, Mellor’s previously unreleased track ‘Shame’ is a gritty rock ‘n’ roll number touching on people in dysfunctional relationships but too emotionally involved to realise things aren’t working.
And February’s single ‘Lost in this World’ plays us out with captivating riffs under a flurry of aggressive drumming that helps keep spirits high. All about being so infatuated with someone that they can take advantage of you, the track is amped up by unparalleled energy and spliced with an infectious chorus.
‘Fragment of Imagination’ is a gripping collection of songs with a deep meaning to the band; love, hate, disappointment, anger, mental illness, Mellor intricately feature an array of emotions and images for our listening pleasure.
