Mezanmi (aka Newcastle-born, London-based singer-songwriter and composer Fran O’Hanlon) describes his ominous new single ‘The Numbers’ as “perhaps the darkest track” from his forthcoming debut album Always Upwards (out 22 November). It explores the dehumanisation of groups of people, with the desperation in humanity palpable in its intense dark pulsing electronics and haunting yet urgent strings, and most profoundly in the lyrics: “Don’t look to me it’s not my fault, after all, after all. It’s not me or my baby, or anyone I know… or anyone I’d care to know, ”
Mezanmi explains,“It’s easier to maintain emotional distance or ignore social injustice if people’s lives are packaged up as part of a number…It makes the unfolding tragedy feel more like an inevitability rather than something we have any power to prevent.”
Mezanmi (pronounced ‘mes amis’) works as an NHS palliative care doctor, and his experience heavily shapes his music, where the deeply personal, raw, and self-reflective is weaved into socio-political themes that hold a mirror up to humanity. On Always Upwards the world’s growing fractures are unpacked – including the dehumanisation of immigrants, the corruption of institutions trusted to protect the public, and a failure to confront the dangerous rise in misogyny and other forms of hate . However, the haunting, emotionally charged songs are born out of a deep empathy, making the album a thing of beauty despite its dark atmospheres and intensity.
Always Upwards boasts impressive collaborations from Academy and Mercury Award nominated actress and musician Jessie Buckley, artist Sandrayati (Decca), Kieran Brunt of Shards (Erased Tapes), with twice Grammy Award-winning producer and engineer Guy Massey (Spiritualized, Richard Hawley, Bill Fay) co-producing the album.
Catch Mezanmi perform tracks from Always Upwards at the below UK shows.
LIVE:
NOVEMBER
20th – Paper Dress Vintage – London, UK
22nd – Folklore Rooms – Brighton, UK
30th – Three Tanners Bank – Newcastle, UK
26th – The Hug and Pint – Glasgow, UK
