Alright, indie fans, I’ve got something for you to check out. Take a little Death Cab, a touch of Beirut, and a smidge of post-2005 Bright Eyes, put it all together, and you get Northern Connecticut band Mercies.

Friends Josh Rheault and Sammy Dent met in indie-prog-rock band The Dear Hunter, but split from the group and spent a winter season simultaneously renovating and recording in an old barn. Like all good things, a wonderful album blossomed forth in the spring of this year. Three Thousand Days is a journey deep into the emotions of the two friends, and you can accompany them on said journey through iTunes or Bandcamp.

I got Josh to tell me about the history of the band and what on earth possessed them to renovate a New England barn in the middle of winter.

Was it difficult to leave The Dear Hunter and focus on Mercies?

It was definitely an easy decision leaving The Dear Hunter. It was time to move on and focus on a project that we were both passionate about. Mercies is that project.

Did the two of you meet in The Dear Hunter or were you friends prior to that? What inspired you to break away and start your own project?

Sam and I met in The Dear Hunter. We had a lot of fun as the rhythm section of that band. Sam played drums, and I played bass. We talked a lot about writing together, but it wasn’t until years later when we felt it was the right time to step away and pursue another project full time.

Who came up with the idea for The Barn? Was it tough to rebuild and record in it at the same time? How has it been faring during its first year up and running? Have there been other people recording in it yet?

I moved back to Connecticut after living in Los Angeles for a few years, and the only real space for housing my gear was an old barn behind my parents’ house. We wanted to take a minimalistic approach to recording Three Thousand Days, and The Barn offered a unique, interesting space to record in. It was perfect for the sound we were going for. Even though it was under construction for the entire writing and recording process, it inspired us in ways that a “conventional” recording studio could not.

Since the completion of The Barn, we have recorded lots more Mercies material, parts of Sammy Dent’s record Hello Morning, and Erick Serna and The Killing Floor’s upcoming release, The Grip.

Tell me about Three Thousand Days. Are there stories behind the songs?

Both Sam and I are extremely happy with the response so far. Lyrically, Three Thousand Days reflects on a very specific time in my life and the emotions that came from it. Just to touch on a few songs, “Animals” describes the feeling of lacking uniqueness. The song “Stranger” is about the feeling of being suddenly ripped out of a life that was comfortable into a new unfamiliar one. I wrote this song before I even thought about making the record. It set the tone for the rush of emotions that I was about to experience and compile into Three Thousand Days. While writing “In My Mind,” I chose to reference very specific memories. A lyric such as “running through the rain” is not a metaphor. It is literal.

Are there any bands or artists who have inspired Mercies’ sound?

One of my favorite guitar players and someone who I’ve been greatly influenced by is Chet Atkins. I’ve always been drawn to artists from the ‘50s and ‘60s like The Beatles, Buddy Holly, and Elvis, to name a few. I love the rawness and simplicity of the recordings from that era. Mercies was not only inspired musically by these artists and time periods, but sonically as well.

Do either of you have a favorite track on the album?

Favorite song on the record: Track 7, “In My Mind.”

Mercies Tour Dates:

09/20 – Boston, MA – UNregular Radio
09/21 – Allston, MA – O’Briens Pub
09/22 – Purchase, NY – SUNY Purchase @ The Stood (FREE)
09/24 – Northampton, MA – Pearl Street
10/21 – New York, NY – CMJ – Sullivan Hall

For more information on Mercies, check out their website here.