Photo by Elena Solotroff
“‘I Heard The Earth Falling’ is the sound of opposing truths and their corresponding lies colliding over and over again.” — Mark Solotroff, THE MERCURY IMPULSE
Stream THE MERCURY IMPULSE’s “I Heard The Earth Falling” at THIS LOCATION.
“I Heard The Earth Falling” is the latest single from experimental drone/dark ambient/noise duo, THE MERCURY IMPULSE. Now playing at Everything Is Noise, the track comes off the project’s debut full-length, Records Of Human Behavior, set for release on August 23rd.
THE MERCURY IMPULSE was created in 2024 by JR Robinson and Mark Solotroff. Robinson is well known for his group Wrekmeister Harmonies and Solotroff is best known as the frontman of Anatomy Of Habit and BLOODYMINDED.
Robinson and Solotroff were first introduced to each other in late 2011, during the formation of a group of musicians that would perform with Robinson in January 2012, under his Wrekmeister Harmonies name, at the Museum Of Contemporary Art in Chicago. This ensemble, drawn from the city’s metal, experimental, classical, and improvised music scenes, came together to play a live score to Robinson’s film, You’ve Always Meant So Much To Me.
Solotroff and Robinson continued their collaboration over the following years, performing as a duo and in large ensembles, including multiple legendary shows at Bohemian National Cemetery, as part of the Beyond The Gates series, which Robinson spearheaded.
This in-person creative relationship paused in late 2015 when Chicago was no longer the home base for Wrekmeister Harmonies. Over the years, the two had developed a strong friendship while working together, and although music was shared at points in time after Robinson left Chicago, it wasn’t until early 2024 that the idea of a new approach materialized, based on recordings that Solotroff had sent Robinson for a proposed Wrekmeister Harmonies album.
Sparked by Robinson’s initial work with a set of existing unreleased recordings, the two set about recording new material, heavily driven by analog synth and guitar noise, and marked by a conscious decision to work rapidly and not risk damaging the creative freedom that they were enjoying in the process.
Notes Solotroff on the band’s latest single, “While JR and I were working on this album, he had a quote in mind by Marshall McLuhan, but not that old chestnut that’s everyone’s favorite go-to. This one’s more pertinent when it comes to how JR and I talk about our lives and the world we live in and how we approached recording this album and how we envisioned sharing it publicly. This one states, ‘One of the effects of living with electric information is that we live habitually in a state of information overload. There’s always more than you can cope with.’ As we recorded, edited, and mixed this album, we agreed not to overdo it with zillions of layers of sound… of information. We wanted to give our songs some space for listeners to move through… float through. We were also aligned on striving for spontaneity. When I asked JR why this song ends so abruptly – because I notoriously build long fade-ins and fade-outs into my solo recordings – he explained that it’s a reflection of the way we think. We go from one thought to the next and these thoughts end abruptly, and we move on. I was sold on the hard stop. We also agree that humanity has a history of being confused and deceived by whatever faith we embrace at any given moment in time. An aspect of our current era is how people will embrace the newest technological advancement because we are positive it will provide relief from any existential dilemma we face. ‘I Heard The Earth Falling’ is the sound of opposing truths and their corresponding lies colliding over and over again.”
Adds Everything Is Noise in part, “The shroud of abrasive noise on ‘I Heard The Earth Falling’ merely masks the heavily emotive and strong synth bass lines carrying the song forward, painting a tapestry of its own and adding new type of hues and details on every new listen. While at first sight the six-minute track can be viewed as first and foremost a noisier effort, there are distinct tones that come and go, effectively carrying it forward without regressing into a state anywhere near a static. All frequencies are put to use whether through these more aerial tones mentioned above or the at times excruciatingly ponderous wash of tonal din and clamor, as The Mercury Impulse keeps pushing the listener deeper and deeper into the unwelcoming yet oddly captivating and satisfactory territory of their making.”
Stream THE MERCURY IMPULSE’s “I Heard The Earth Falling” at THIS LOCATION.
Records Of Human Behavior is the result of approximately three months of active collaboration between friends. While the intensity of early Throbbing Gristle and the vast space of Lustmord are touchstones the album has a rawness expected from Solotroff’s contemporary analog synth drone/ambient releases combined with the expansive sonic landscapes that Robinson’s albums are known for.
Records Of Human Behavior was recorded at Giants Ledge, in Rosendale, New York and The Confluence in Chicago, Illinois, and mastered by Collin Jordan at The Boiler Room in Chicago.
The record will be released on CD and across all digital platforms. Find preorders at THE MERCURY IMPULSE Bandcamp page HERE, where first single, “Infinite Repetition,” can be streamed.
Records Of Human Behavior Track Listing:
- Behind Dull Glass
- Keeping My Second Self Invisible
- I Heard The Earth Falling
- Primitive Instincts
- Miles Of Smoldering Trash
- Remanded To The Back Of A Mirror
- Infinite Repetition
- Lessons Of Apathy
https://themercuryimpulse.bandcamp.com
https://wrekmeisterharmonies.bandcamp.com
https://www.instagram.com/wrekmeisterharmonies
https://www.facebook.com/wrekmeisterharmonies23
https://marksolotroff.com
https://marksolotroff.bandcamp.com
https://www.instagram.com/marksolotroff
https://www.facebook.com/solotroff