Ethereal, hypnotic, driving, cinematic… these are good descriptions of Portland OR/Geneva CH-based Mercury’s Antennae. Comprised of vocalist Dru Allen, multi-instrumentalist Erick r. Scheid and bassist Cindy Coulter, their sound ranges from shoegazey pop to unadorned acoustic beauty, earning them comparisons to ‘90s-era Projekt artists. This fits with Scheid’s founding of his first band Translucia, and Coulter and Allen’s history in This Ascension, but Mercury’s Antennae takes a modern approach, also drawing inspiration from ambient and contemporary electronica.

Mercury's Antennae was born in 2010 when Scheid met Allen in San Francisco. He approached her with the idea of collaborating on music and an enduring connection formed, as Allen gave voice to a number of previously recorded instrumentals. Other compositions came to life spontaneously as the two jammed with acoustic guitar and voice. They each brought their own unique approach to Mercury’s Antennae – Allen’s soaring, multilayer vocals fused with Scheid’s electronic experimentation and trusty guitars to create songs of rarefied style, power and grace. Coulter joined for the 2015 tour line-up, bringing an earthy, grounding element and fuller sound, officially turning the band into a trio.

Fans of darkwave, heavenly voices and spacious atmospheres have all found themselves at home with Mercury’s Antennae’s first full-length albums A Waking Ghost Inside and Beneath the Serene, both on Projekt. Between these two recordings, the band also released the digital-only EP The Guides, accompanied by the premiere of their first video for the track “The Guides v.2.”

2018 has been a busy year for Mercury’s Antennae, whose spring tour culminated with their European live debut at Wave-Gotik-Treffen in Leipzig, Germany. In conjunction with the performance, the band released the special EP Moon Viewing Garden on Sett Records and the video for the title track.

Mercury’s Antennae brings their alchemy of harmonic, swirling guitars, lush instrumentation, and dream-felt sirenic vocals regularly to the live stage with West Coast and Pacific Northwest touring. They are currently finishing up work on their third album Among the Black Trees (Sett) which they plan to support with a more extensive tour schedule in 2019. 

[Photo: Clovis IV Photography]