The Merrylees


Having once had their music described as 'Psychedelic Western Pop', Scottish quartet, The Merrylees are turning listeners on their heads, bringing a very much needed lively, wholesome sound. Since starting out in 2012, the lads have played the likes of T in the Park and supported 60's rock legends, The Zombies. 

About 7 months ago, they released their debut double A-side single, For You / The Coroner and the response has been phenomenal, gaining the interest of artists such as The Coral. 

With its eerie introduction, 'For You' captures the described psychedelia with tints of the past, making the track feel incredibly nostalgic yet fresh, untouched by the conventional corrupted late 60's indie-psych movement. Brilliantly tuned to hold a whisper-like breeze, disorientated perplexing of the mind, using the vocals to almost soothe the hair-raising tension of the mischievous western sound. Creating an imagery of swirling Native Americans and dustbowl consumed ranches, tinged with a rather quest-seeking message. The prominent talent The Merrylees possess is very much shown within this offering by making this track so spectral and unquestionably universal, giving the impression that it is worthy than so much more than just some average track.


With an electrically fast introduction, 'The Coroner' opens our eyes to another side of The Merrylees were their musical capability is concerned... Again, we are faced with an uneasy sound that keeps us on our toes, eagerly awaiting the next twist around the corner, hearts racing and heads pounding, the addictive sound pulls minds closer. Thoroughly enjoyable and enticing, the track has a dimension different to one you'd expect from just some wannabe psychedelia group, they aren't afraid to step out and reveal their prowess or present a sound totally gripping to the ear. 


The Merrylees have an undeniable impressive future career ahead of them, a career of which I am glad to have been around at the beginning. Without any further or due, here's a smashing interview, The Music Manual got with The Merrylees... 

What brought The Merrylees together?

Bert Jansch, Neil Young, Jackon C. Frank, Simon & Garfunkel, Davy Graham, Ennio Morricone, The Beatles, Gram Parsons, The La's, The Beach Boys, The Band, The Coral, Love, Nuggets, Bob Dylan, Richard Hawley, Leonard Cohen, The Doors, The Sopranos...  

Why 'The Merrylees'?

That's a secret.

How would you define yourselves?

Somebody once described our music as 'Psychedelic Western Pop' and that seems to have stuck, but we don't want to be put in a box. We just want to move people with our songs and whatever we do we'll always be The Merrylees. That's all you need to know. 

Where do you feel holds the best opportunities to get your music out there?

Online things like Facebook and YouTube are great for sharing your music but in my opinion they don't stand up to playing live.

How has the response been for your debut single 'For You / The Coroner'?

We've not heard a bad word about the single so we're pleased. I think it's a great introduction to the band and can't wait to show people where we can take it.

What's been the most exciting thing to happen to you so far within your career in music?

We don't tend to get excited much but getting to play the Friday night at T in The Park was special...

Where was the best venue you've ever played?

Off the top of my head, The Queens Hall in Edinburgh. It's this big concert hall where we supported The Zombies a few months ago. We sounded massive that night.

Best tracks to play live?

It changes all the time for me but right now its 'The Coroner'. We add an instrumental section live and Ryan plays this evil guitar part. Instant goose bumps.

Who do you look up to for guidance in your music?

In terms of the actual music we look to each other and our record collections. For everything else we have a group of friends and musicians that are behind us every step of the way.

Are we going to be hearing big things from you in the next couple of years?

We're in the studio with Richard Hawley next month to record our next single, so I'm sure we'll come out with something special. Whether or not people will like it, I can't say. 

Want to see The Merrylees live? Get down to Leaf on Bold St (Liverpool) to see them support the Allah-Las on Wednesday 21st August. 


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