Oh Mercy

Who says you can't have a collection of dangerous and sexy songs with great words? From this basic premise, Alexander Gow and his Oh Mercy bandmates have crafted Deep Heat, the band's third and most colourful album to date; a collection of 10 propulsive songs with a groove as deep as the Mariana Trench. After last year's acoustic-based confessional Great Barrier Grief, Gow decided to shift the goal posts a little ? well, a lot actually ? decamping to Portland, Oregon...

From this basic premise, Alexander Gow and his Oh Mercy bandmates have crafted Deep Heat, the band's third and most colourful album to date; a collection of 10 propulsive songs with a groove as deep as the Mariana Trench.

After last year's acoustic-based confessional Great Barrier Grief, Gow decided to shift the goal posts a little ? well, a lot actually ? decamping to Portland, Oregon, for two months and turning a bunch of songs he'd written on piano in the ?traditional singer-songwriter fashion? into something else entirely.

For the first time ever, he began writing in the third-person, taking on characters and exploring some of the darker sides of sexuality and desire. ?I read Paul Kelly's memoir and was excited by the idea of writing from another perspective. Subsequently every song on the album is a work of fiction. It has opened up a whole new vocabulary for me to dive head first into.?

After a successful North American run of shows ? 13,450 kilometres in a tour van ? Oh Mercy moved into the Family Farm, a beautiful homestead-turned-studio on the banks of Lake Oswego, just outside of Portland. Between games of Mario Kart and episodes of Law & Order SVU, many cans of Pabst Blue Ribbon and exercise sessions in a makeshift gym, Deep Heat started taking shape. At the helm was producer and renaissance man Burke Reid.

From the Roxy Music-esque swagger of My Man (the first song Gow has ever written that wasn't autobiographical) to pulsating first single Drums (the product of a heavy Jorge Ben binge), Deep Heat is modern, forward-thinking pop; a colourful mix of styles all held together by a singular groove. Gow even takes a stab at reggae on Still Making Me Pay, while the urgent Pilgrim's Blues features Hammond organ by US musician Steve Berlin. The legendary Los Lobos member is an ever-present on Deep Heat, contributing horns, keys and an unforgettable flute solo on the effortlessly cool title track.

After deciding on a name for the album ? "I was trying to think of what title I would give to an '80s dub compilation? ? Gow was determined to come up with an appropriate theme song. He penned Deep Heat on the second day in the studio while drummer Rohan Sforcina was mucking around with a shuffle beat.

Continuing the trend of memorable Oh Mercy covers ? Great Barrier Grief was graced by a vibrant Ken Done original ? Deep Heat features a photograph by iconic, Melbourne-based photographer Rennie Ellis. His striking and somewhat surreal photograph of revelers at Carnival in Brazil was instantly appealing.

?A semi-nude woman (?) surrounded by men in gold space suits playing tambourines? It was an easy decision.?

'Deep Heat' is out on August 24th. Get your copy here: http://bit.ly/NE25NU

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