Oxford indie-rock band The Mezz have released their new single, Bridges. We asked front man Ben the BIG questions . . .
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Speaking about the new song, Ben, says: "In this song, you'll hear my heartfelt struggle with the world's demands on personality and appearance.
"I grapple with the choice between embracing my true self and succumbing to the pressure of crafting an idealised persona for social media consumption. It's a constant back-and-forth, a battle between genuine happiness and the allure of conforming to societal norms for wider acceptance."
Tell us three things about yourself . ..
My name is Benjamin Comley, lead singer of The Mezz. We are a band from Oxford, UK. I started playing music at the age of nine after I begged my parents for a guitar For Christmas. they brought me this shocking guitar starter kit that I must have played until the pickups no longer worked.
How would you describe your music?
Starting out we would always struggle with a direction for the band. As we got more comfortable experimenting with our sound We got told by a close friend that it should be labelled as "unapologetic pop". Honestly, I couldn't find a better term for it! We have a fusion blend of pop songs almost disguised as hard-hitting anthem like rock tunes! Catching and easy to dance a long too but boy do they pack a punch!
Who are your musical inspirations?
For me personally, it started with the classics of my childhood. Bands like Green Day, Oasis, Nirvana etc. As a band we have a great mixture of influences that contribute to our sound. Heavier bands like Slipknot to jazz soul artists like Tom Misch. We are also very fond of bands that have emerged from our local area such as Radiohead, Foals, Glass animals etc. Not to be the dude that says "I listen to everything" but it seems like we really do.
What was the first gig you ever went to?
My first gig I ever got to go to was Foo Fighters at Milton Keynes bowl on the 2011 Wasting Light tour. I remember being absolutely locked in a trance. I was 10 years old and had never seen anything like it. So many people coming together to see a band was the most unreal thing to experience for the first time.
What was the first record you ever bought?
When I was growing up my dad used to take me to football in his work van and he would always have a CD of his era on. My earliest memories of music was listen to bands like Oasis, Stereophonics, Happy Mondays etc in the van with him. My first memory of an album was Permission to Land by The Darkness but I believe the first album I brought with my own money was the Star Wars: A New Hope OST believe it or not! I still don’t really know why for sure. I am a massive Star Wars fan so as a kid I just wanted to listen to the music but I think it taught me a lot more about my knowledge of how to compose a song more than I first realised.
What's your favourite song right now?
My favourite song right now is obviously Bridges by The Mezz available on all streaming platforms now.
Favourite lyric of all time?
My favourite lyric of all time has to be: "it only takes on tree, to make a thousand matches. It only takes one match, to burn a thousand trees" from A Thousand Trees by Stereophonics. In the context of the song, it’s a very powerful metaphor for someone ruining his life by his actions but I really love how simple and literal it is. It makes perfect sense!
If you could only listen to one song for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Dancing on the Ceiling - Lionel Richie. It’s just a next level belter, ain’t it? You can’t feel bad listening to that song.
Where can people find your music/ more information?
You can find out music on all streaming platforms under THE MEZZ. Pretty much everything (including lyrics and bits) is here.
Alan Corr
