After unleashing a bold and enticing flurry of energetic belters over the last few years, German outfit The Mergers recently returned to deliver their stunning new album 'Three Apples In The Orange Grove'.
Channelling that same frenzied and soaring garage-rock sound they are known for, 'Three Apples In The Orange Grove' makes for a fun and vibrant listen throughout. Jam-packed with killer riffs, shimmering hooks, and catchy choruses to boot, this one will certainly get you onto your feet in no time.
So with the new record out and about, we sat down with them to find out more about their origins and influences over the years.
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What was the first instrument you fell in love with?
Jerry: The guitar.
Jay: The English Flute.
Henry: The guitar.
Winston: The drums and anything else you can beat on.
What kind of music did you love when you were younger?
Jerry: More or less the same.
Jay: 60s and 90s - just like today.
Henry: A lot of Oldies, 50s Rock‘n‘Roll and Grunge.
Winston: I am still young like The Rolling Stones.
What was the first album you remember owning?
Jerry: Beck - Mellow Gold.
Jay: New Kids on the Block - Step by Step.
Henry: Red Hot Chili Peppers - Californication.
Winston: The Beatles - Help! (My father owned all the Stones’ stuff…)
What is the one song you wished you could have written yourself?
Jerry: Oasis - Whatever.
Jay: God Only Knows - Beach Boys.
Henry: Radiohead - Weird Fishes/Arpeggi.
Winston: The number one hit for the next corona free summer.
Do you have any habits or rituals you go through when trying to write new music?
Jerry: Trying to get all the parts and pieces of music in the right order, coming up with some lyrics that might fit, then going through everything a thousand times.
Jay: Record tiniest ideas, merge different parts, writing lyrics based on some phonetically essential keywords, twist and turn it until it feels whole.
Henry: I usually lock myself up in my room for hours with an acoustic guitar, a MacBook and some sheets of paper, hoping for the best.
Winston: …not writing.
Who are your favourite artists you have found yourself listening to at the moment?
Jerry: The War On Drugs, Jacob Collier.
Jay: Grateful Dead.
Henry: Ty Segall, Dirty Projectors, Jake LaBotz, Marc Rebillet, Foxygen, Alice Phoebe Lou Winston: Jake La Botz, Oscar Wilson, Charles Bradley, Joni Mitchell.
If you could open a show for anyone in the world, who would it be?
Jerry: The Rolling Stones.
Jay: Wilco.
Henry: The Rolling Stones.
Winston: The Rolling Stones.
What do you find is the most rewarding part about being a musician?
Jerry: The feeling of satisfaction during rehearsals, recordings or concerts.
Jay: The moment during rehearsal/on stage when it starts flowing and everything falls into place. Henry: The feeling of creating something personal for yourself and anybody else who‘s either listening to a song or record or: visiting a live show. You can‘t come close to this experience while staring at a screen.
Winston: The feeling while you’re playing and forgetting everything around you but the music, the audience and your bandmates.
And what is the most frustrating part?
Jerry: Waiting.
Jay: The morning after.
Henry: Realising that your art will quite always be reduced to commercial aspects, if you try to compete in the jungle of pop music releases.
Winston: When the rewarding part somehow doesn’t work.
And what is the best piece of advice you have received as a musician?
Jerry: Be grateful for what you have and keep on going.
Jay: Always keep your guitar slightly detuned.
Henry: Either do it, or don’t talk about it.
Winston: It’s more or less a hidden advice - the question: “Can you make a living from it?“
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The Mergers' new album 'Three Apples In The Orange Grove' is available to stream and download now. Check it out in full via the player below.