Mediocre
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
Album: To Know You’re Screwed EP, out now via Dangerbird Records
RIYL: Knowledge. Commiseration. Hope.
“The theme (and name) of the record revolves around the feeling of knowing you’re screwed and feeling like there’s nothing you can really do about it,” the band shares collectively. “There just seems to be an endless number of ways that life can weigh down on you and very little you can do to escape it. This project is our way of grappling with this uncertainty and fear, but we wanted to close it out on a more optimistic note. We may be screwed, but at least we’re not alone in this fact. Finding peace in togetherness and learning to appreciate the love and comfort of other people is sometimes all you can do to take some of that weight off.”
Sometimes we just need a reminder to keep our chin up, one that’s more realist than optimist. Mediocre do that in spades on their fantastic debut EP. The queer duo excel at garage punk that feels like an invitation, and these five songs continually surprise as they coalesce into a cohesive whole. Debut EPs are meant to highlight potential, but if To Know You’re Screwed is any indication, they’ve got an indie classic on their hands very soon. This record isn’t far off from that high praise either.
Speaking about how they became Mediocre, this is the classic case of friends becoming collaborators:
“We formed Mediocre in high school about a year after the two of us met, and our friendship has always been the main driving force behind the band. This band was the first serious project either of us had been a part of, so in effect we really figured out how to be musicians by playing together. It’s been so rewarding to feel us becoming closer and more connected as collaborators, and it’s really a result of growing together as both friends and people.”
Photo courtesy of Mediocre.
