Merger was a short lived band that was active between 2017 and 2019. In that time the band recorded one EP. Now, years after the band quit, this single is the first of two planned releases. This EP is my introduction to the band. It was not an easy introduction. In fact, it took me a lot of time to get into this single.
Luckily for me this single consists of only two songs and around ten minutes of music. So it wasn’t days and days of listening to it. When I first put it on I had to suppress the urge to skip these songs. Now, as I am writing this, I have heard these two tracks twenty times at least and they have grown on me a bit. I enjoy the live feel of the songs and the sense of experimentation.
Merger really is looking for how far they can stretch the definition of punk. And I doubt some parts can be considered punk. At times (especially during “Sniffles”) it sounds very much like a jazz composition that is only a minimal sketch that the musicians can fill in by jamming. Sniffles is an instrumental track and has that very jazzy sense of freedom. It borders on post-rock at times. Opening track “Psalm” on the other hand is more punky with its jagged riffs.
The downside of this sense of freedom is that some transitions are not that well placed and don’t feel natural at all. “Psalms” for example starts very jazzy, like most of “Sniffles”. The transition to the aforementioned jagged riffin comes out of nowhere and feels forced. Another downside is that, although I’ve listened to this single a lot by now, it doesn’t really stick. I can’t recall a single riff or melody if my life depended on it.
If you are really into this kind of music, or if you were around when this band existed this single might be to your liking. I don’t know if I’ll return to it often.
