Better To... Podcast with D. M. Needom

Beautiful Meltdown - Merchant

April 08, 2022 D. M. Needom / Merchant Season 5 Episode 6
Better To... Podcast with D. M. Needom
Beautiful Meltdown - Merchant
Show Notes

Merchant is back to take us on the journey of his music and his album, Beautiful Meltdown

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  Beautiful Meltdown is the debut album from Merchant (Nate Merchant). Produced with legendary bassist of Duran Duran, JohnTaylor, Beautiful Meltdown is a fresh collection of 12 bright, propulsive, and, surprisingly, deeply personal tunes. Shimmering synthesizers, soaring choruses, earnest vocals, and rolling bass lines reveal Merchant’s affection for 80’s new wave but don’t let the vibrant songs fool you, at its heart Beautiful Meltdown is the deeply emotional work of a singer-songwriter cloaked in the sonic magic of a studio wizard.
Jagged, swirling synths usher in the title track of Beautiful Meltdown, a bouncy rumination on a dead-end relationship, and a rousing start to an ambitious album that takes us on an existential journey out of depression, through a season of growth, and ultimately to a place of balance and hope. 

Beautiful Melt down’s vivid character sketches and musical short stories are complemented by infectious melodies, moving vocals, dancefloor-ready beats, and lush, modern production. The sad singer/happy music gambit is expertly executed on Beautiful Meltdown: the relentlessly catchy “Adderall (Why Don’t You Let Me Go)?” confronts addiction while the galloping chorus of “Hate It Here” defiantly runs toward hope, the buoyant, beautiful vocals of “Better This Way” guide us through the pain of a break-up to acceptance even as the lovely melody helps heal our own painful memories in that mystical way pop songs can. The welcome surprise of Beautiful Meltdown is its unexpected scope, note the distance covered from “I Don’t Feel Like Dancing”, the energetic banger about love lost which hits like an MTV-era neon wall-of-sound to the tender album closer “Take It From Ya”, an affecting meditation on unconditional love.

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The YouTube Videocast of the show has three concept music videos.  https://youtu.be/K-SlyTAIPBY

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Video of the interview is available here: https://youtu.be/K-SlyTAIPBY

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Sound Design and production by Rich Zei at Third Ear Audio
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