Meryl Streek have a lot to get off their chest – and they don’t give a fuck if you like it or not. The Dublin act will be releasing their debut album 796 on 4 November through Gallows’ label Venn Records. They say:
“The album is for anyone that has been affected by the church’s actions and those that feel that the government not only mistreated them but took away their voice along with it.
“I’ve always been drawn to bands that say what they think loudly and clearly. I grew up hearing A House, Guernica and Sack speaking their minds, the punk movement too. I’m coming from the same place but with melodies and pop music so hopefully people will stop and listen to what I’ve got to say.”
To launch the announcement they’ve shared the double single “False Apologies” and “Yesterday”. On the former, they say:
“‘False Apologies’ was a way to deal with my anger about the atrocities committed by the Catholic church against the young women and children of Ireland, specifically the mother and baby homes. Sadly not their only crimes, it made me sick that the government and church not only allowed this to happen but have actively tried to erase it from history. That in my mind is a step too far.”
That righteous anger fuels “False Apologies”, an acidic and furious rocker that finds Meryl Streek going for the gut. Among walls of guitar and pummelling percussion, they scabrously announce “the church are a bunch of crooks” and “it makes me sick to live” among many other volleys of anger. Intercut with news clips about the Catholic church refusing to apologise, there’s a knife-edge urgency to the track.
“Yesterday” continues in a similarly sneering vein, but on a more personal, heartbroken level. Both tracks find Meryl Streek announcing that he doesn’t give a fuck if you don’t listen to the album – getting these messages off his chest is more important than being liked.
Watch the atmospheric video for “False Apologies” below and “Yesterday” beneath, or find both tracks on streamers.
Mery Streek’s debut album 796 arrives on November 4 through Venn Records. You can find the band on Bandcamp, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok.
