Based in Los Angeles, USA, Mad Bad World is a new project to our blog, coming to our attention through his album, Mercy Memory.

By Graeme Smith

The brainchild of songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist, Matt Battle (formerly of psychedelic-soul band Chicano Batman), Mad Bad World blends indie rock with dream pop to create a ponderous and introspective sound. In Mercy Memory, it’s a sound that’s beautifully introduced by Weirdo, an early highlight that starts intimate before exploding into cosmic life.

Mirror Mime follows in frenetic fashion as the pair get things going in impressive style. As the album progresses, it alternates between the stripped-back and intimate and the bombastic and cinematic. Be Apart of It proves a lush highlight, as does the layered and electronic Until It Ends. The duo make up two parts of a longer story called On My Way. Title track Mercy Memory closes the album in emotional style with a slow-burning and lingering moment.

Bringing to mind alternative pioneers like Radiohead and Animal Collective, Mad Bad World is one for lovers of the unconventional. Yet, at its heart it’s a solid and relatable indie rock album with broad appeal.

Mercy Memory is out now and you can give it a listen below.