Anything but meh.
My first thought listening to meh.’s EP was “who are these guys?”. The seamless integration of artful, at times playful lyrics with interesting melodies and complex emotions leaves the listener indelibly entranced and wanting more. The group hails from South Africa, and after delving into their social media, it becomes apparent that meh. are the new kids on the block, with a following smaller than my Grandma’s knitting club. After mild success with previous singles like Chosen and Refugee, meh. have embraced a more mature and progressive sound with their debut EP titled Rundown Hotel. The adventurous opening track, Sniper Girl, features quirky production with ‘out of the blue’ sonic components such as sneezes and coughs, yet refreshingly unobtrusive.
With the follow-up tracks Stone and Rundown Hotel you get the sense that they are still discovering their sound. Delving into the world of dream pop, meh.’s lyrics on Stone, though still plenty mysterious and obscure, also seem especially alluring. A story told in snapshots and artful distractions, the result has the listener staring into the night sky while deep in thought, left guessing but intrigued.
Evident in their releases, meh. have a knack for pop hooks. Dream/future pop or not, they’ve got it down pat with Rundown Hotel. The EP forces you to listen more to the songs and appreciate the art of songwriting. Although meh. works in a sub-genre where atmosphere is mostly allowed to trump melody, their music is surprisingly ‘centre of attention’ and more clearly defined than the usual haze. Melodic and memorable, their music is anything but meh, with the potential to reach a far wider audience than the usual cult following of sub-genres.
www.instagram.com/mehtheband
https://www.facebook.com/mehtheband/
www.ossiarecords.com
