“Jupiter Pluvius flood me with all good shit / Give me ecstatic fits of dance amid the catatonic monoliths / He’s one of the pantheon / F*cks like a champion / And when the sun comes back out everything will be different”, sings principal songwriter Myles McCabe on new EP “Plesiosaur”’s lead single “Jupiter Pluvius”, bringing the painting of the same name by Joseph Gandy to life, out today.
It’s a unique characteristic that ME REX have refined over the last two years – rhythmically charged narrations and a musical stream of consciousness. Themes of friendship, forgiveness, loss, and joy wrapped in fast paced poetic vignettes; ME REX challenge the listener’s preconception of how a song can be structured. Hot on the heels of this year’s “Pterodactyl” EP and with several SXSW showcases and a UK/ EU tour with Foxing coming up, ME REX announce their brand new offering – “Plesiosaur” – out on June 17th, 2022, via Big Scary Monsters, sharing first single “Jupiter Pluvius”.
Across the four tracks of “Plesiosaur”, ME REX wrap sharp wordplay around vibrant fuzzed out guitars and keys. “Jupiter Pluvius” looks theologically at the idea of projecting strength and power onto inanimate objects. “Based on the painting of the same name by Joseph Gandy, this song is about images of God in the popular imagination”, says McCabe. “What that projection of strength and power onto a cold inanimate object says about our expectations and demands of a deity and of ourselves”.
Pre-order “Plesiosaur” here.
Tracklist:
1. Lager Door
2. Jupiter Pluvius
3. Sacred Cancer
4. Toilet of Venus
Beginning life in 2018 in the home of songwriter Myles McCabe, experimenting with shouty, electronic bedroom pop, ME REX formed when McCabe was joined by long-time friends Kathryn Woods (guitar/vocals), Phoebe Cross (drums/vocals) and Rich Mandell (bass/keys/vocals).
In 2021 the band released their debut album “Megabear” – a record built from 52 short tracks intended to be played in shuffle mode for the listener to create their own perfect combination of songs. In 2022 they dove headfirst into follow-up EP “Pterodactyl”, which saw them change pace and tact throughout, constructing delicate vocal layers with luscious swathes of guitars and keys, consistently pushing creative boundaries but with a raw DIY sensibility.
With “Megabear” described as “nothing short of an artistic triumph” by Brooklyn Vegan – as well as receiving praise from Pitchfork, DIY, Rocksound, Line Of Best Fit, BBC 6Music, Radio X, Amazing Radio, Audiotree, The I Paper and more – ME REX show no signs of slowing down. In 2020 the band spent the latter half of the year blowing open the doors of the UK’s indie scene with double EP “Triceratops/Stegosaurus” where they found an audience ready and waiting. Stereogum declared: “[ME REX] have triangulated a sweet spot between dour grey-skies UK indie rock and no-holds-barred emo catharsis, so that each track becomes a little indie coming-of-age film unto itself”.
Having already made an appearance at Latitude Festival and End of the Road Festivals in summer 2021, ME REX are heading to SXSW this year, and hitting the road with Foxing this spring in the UK/EU. Striving to break free from the constraints their peers face, ME REX have proved themselves to be one of the most forward-thinking bands in the UK, creating resonating art that deals in the most human qualities – hope and reflection. Achingly poignant, yet captivatingly beautiful all at once, ME REX truly are a force to be reckoned with.
Line-up:
Myles McCabe (He/him) – Vocals, guitar, keys
Phoebe Cross (She/they) – Drums
Rich Mandell (He/him) – Bass, keys
Kathryn Woods (She/her) – Guitar
Weblinks:
www.merex.co.uk
www.facebook.com/merexband
