Like many albums released in 2021, Pretty Dark Loud is a product of the lockdowns and the Covid 19 pandemic. However, Mersiv’s highly anticipated debut album stands in solitude as it is just as innovative as it is captivating. Anderson Benoit Gallegos, the genius behind the Mersiv sound project, found himself struggling in 2020, just as the world had.
In an attempt to block out the noise, the news, and to distract himself from the crumbling world around him, he buried himself in his studio. “Lockdown was one of the most challenging times of my life—like most people, it was unlike anything I had ever faced before. But it was a blessing to work on something that could distract me from the news and be able to focus my energy on something creative,” he wrote in an op-ed for edm.com.
When the lockdowns first hit Pretty Dark Loud was merely a few riffs and an idea. However, as time went on, it blossomed into not only Mersiv’s most impressive release but a record that will pave a new road for freeform bass.
The concept behind Pretty Dark Loud
The words pretty, dark, and loud jumbled together may seem contradictory, but once you listen to a Mersiv track, it starts to make sense. Mersiv embodies weird and strange electronic music with a melodic twist. Through fearless sonic experimentation, he has created a sound that’s both beautiful, heavy, and loud. Following a monstrous set at Electric Forrest in 2018, Mersiv coined the phrase Pretty Dark Loud before personifying the words in his 2019 track Beautiful and Filthy. However, it was the Beautiful and Filthy tour that propelled the Colorado-based producer into stardom as he became the new front-runner for freeform bass. Two years later, the infamous phrase developed into an innovative and transformative album concept. Pretty Dark Loud will both blast you into the ether and pull you into a trance-like state.
Mersiv intended the album to be healing
Mersiv admits himself that there is no grandiose meaning behind each track, but the album as a whole is meant to create a unique experience for each listener. His idea is that each listener can make their own personal connection with the record and interpret each track based on their individual struggles and emotions. He urges fans to listen to it whenever and wherever they need an escape or course of healing. “The purpose of this record is to help people heal and grow through frequencies,” Mersiv explained. “I hope Pretty Dark Loud can help bring a sense of healing and peace to whoever listens.”
Mersiv’s Pretty Dark Loud is an indisputable masterpiece
Consisting of 20 tracks, Pretty Dark Loud is a monumental record that will have a lasting impact on not only freeform bass but the electronic community as a whole. Filled with face-melting bass, cosmic sound design, and melodic undertones, Mersiv takes the listener on a trip like no other. In doing so, he establishes himself as a groundbreaking producer and sets the bar high for the artistic trajectory of electronic music.
Listen to Mersiv’s Pretty Dark Loud on Apple Music or your preferred streaming service.