Red Mecca – Away (Album – Massproduktion)
Genre/Influences: Wave-Pop, Indie-Pop, Shoegaze.
Format: Digital, Vinyl.
Background/Info: Here’s album number six for the Swedish formation Red Mecca. Driven by Jan Strandqvist and singer Susanne Jonsson, “Away” features eight songs.
Content: The work takes off in a rather Shoegaze way and progressively moves back to the Wave/Indie-Pop approach of the band. The songs are alternating between evasive passages and more elevating songs. The final track has something deeply Cinematographic.
+ + + : Red Mecca is a band with an own sound and approach. They don’t exactly innovate, but create a refreshing sound with good-old influences. The opening piece “All Those Stored Errors” reveals something different and definitely Shoegaze driven. But the best song is definitely “Let Me In”, which is more melodic and carried by a solid chorus. Red Mecca confirms to have a nose for elevating choruses at “The New Way”. And there’s also something to say about the accomplished and beautiful last song “Chimera”.
– – – : If the A-side of the vinyl is sometimes a bit hesitant, the second side reveals all the potential and composing skills of Red Mecca.
Conclusion: Red Mecca moves on composing enjoyable music, but this work definitely sounds like their most accomplished production to date. Both members have found a right balance between music and vocals.
Best songs: “Let Me In”, “The New Way”, “Chimera”, “All Those Stored Errors”.
Rate: 8.
Artist: www.redmecca.se / www.facebook.com/redmeccasundsvall
Label: www.massproduktion.com / www.facebook.com/Massproduktion
About Red Mecca
Red Mecca formed in Sundsvall, Sweden, in 1997 and released the album “Please Goddess” on Telegram Records Stockholm in 1998, followed by the CD maxi “Love Is A Savage Thing” in 2000. The band then spent about a decade recording without releasing, returning to live performance in 2010.
Since 2013 the group has recorded for the Sundsvall label Massproduktion, which issued “You Were Never Here” (2013), the “Love And Hate EP” (2014), the 7″ “Set In Motion” (2017), the 12″ “The Fall And The End” (2018) and the 12″ “Every 1’s A Winner” (2019). The current line-up is Jan Strandqvist and singer Susanne Jonsson.
“Away” was released on 30 April 2021 on red vinyl and in digital format. Massproduktion followed it with the double album “Stay” in 2023. Two months after this review, Side-Line published the ‘Click Interview’ with Red Mecca.
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