On To Know You’re Screwed, the debut EP from queer West LA rock duo Mediocre, Piper Torrison (She/They) and Keely Martin (She/Her) immediately get to twisting the lyrical knife. With the opening line, we find out, “To Know You’re Screwed is to Know a Lot,” an indisputable statement, before even getting to the punchline: “and I’m a [deleted] genius.” She’s got a head full of ways it could all go wrong–but there’s an out! “Don’t worry babe, it’s all self-taught/could be all wrong anyway.” It’s a once-in-a-generation sentiment, from Socrates on down to Operation Ivy: all I know is I know nothing. Here, Mediocre hints, all I know is I am nothing. It’s when the chorus hits that you realize the song is a mantra of abstaining from such anxiety: “Push it away, I push it away/and I save it for the next day.” A blistering opening statement of elemental, edge-of-your-seat rock ‘n’ roll at its most honest. When you call your project Mediocre, you’re not exactly setting yourself up for success. But the duo of Martin and Torrison take their huge talents in stride, using self-deprecation to deflect from the anxiety of the spotlight. It’s a theme that runs through the band’s cinema-grade videos, all directed by Martin, who runs the production company Bowie Nix. The well-received, in-house visuals are just one facet of a rich multidisciplinary practice the young duo has already cultivated. Without even an LP to their name, the band has received immense acclaim from all manner of music press–from Stereogum Band to Watch, to video premiers on The Big Takeover, to interviews with Ghetto Blaster, among many other highlights–and their new EP continues stepping up the game. What started as kids in Mom’s garage has evolved into two accomplished young creators with a deft ear for massive hooks straining at the edges of arenas.
[DOWNLOAD NOW] (To download on PC- Right Click -> “Save As”, on a MAC CTRL -> “Save As”)
You can also follow our “Song of the Week” playlist on Spotify
