Me nd Adam - “Heartbreak Kid”

SXSW 2022 - OEB Score: 8; Popularity Index: 6

Pairs Well With… Noah and the Whale, Marshmello, Bob Schneider

Me nd Adam’s recent release, American Drip, Pt. I, is an interesting and diverse collection of songs that explore genres from country-rock to euphoric synth rock to indie folk pop, sometimes within in a single track. The band covers a range of 20-something concerns; romance, partying, mental health, and loneliness, to name a few but they do a nice job of matching instrumentation and production to the emotional content of each song.  While lyrically chill and introspective, the album gets most interesting where their experimental and quirky soundscapes go up tempo and anthemic. “Heartbreak Kid” is one such fun track with traces of 90s Smash Mouth vocal cadences. The ironically titled “Living the Dream” is also a nice blend of alt-country with catchy speak singing. The most radio friendly track might be “The More I Grow Up,” which again matches warm alt-country guitar with an interesting synth line running across the chorus. For a deeper dive into their genre mashing also check out the bicoastal pair “Lonely Always, CA” (bubbly synth matched with warm country guitars and piano) and “New York Suicide” (soft indie rock with synths imitating horns on the chorus). Try to catch Me nd Adam at the Saturday day show at The Far Out Lounge & Stage that has a lineup with several other OEB recommended artists. (David Zlotnick)