In 2025, ethereal wave / shoegaze trio, Mercury’s Antennae – who include members of This Ascension, The Palace of Tears, and Faith & the Muse, among others – resumed operations after an almost seven-year hiatus since 2018’s The Moon Viewing Garden EP. The band at last released ‘The Reflecting Skin (William Faith Mix)’ single in February, followed by their long-awaited third album, Among the Black Trees on Señor Faith’s Sett Records label in March, to mark the Spring Equinox. With members now based between Geneva, Switzerland and Portland, Oregon in the US, the transatlantic threesome reconvened for a series of live shows in July, joined by guest guitarist Neil McKay, of fellow US ethereal darkwave alumni and Sett Records labelmates, Autumn.
Finally, in December, Mercury’s Antennae are rounding off 2025 with the release of the album’s second single, ‘The Veil Opaque v.2’ – a four-track “digital maxi-single” comprising exclusive remixes, reworkings and reinterpretations from the Among the Black Trees album sessions, and accompanied by a new video for the titular single. Devolution managed to catch up with guitarist, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Erick r. Scheid; vocalist and lyricist Dru Allen; and bassist Cindy Coulter, just as they were readying to withdraw behind the veil again…
There have been seven years in between your last release, The Moon Viewing Garden EP, and the latest album, Among the Black Trees, whereas most of the new album is said to have been conceived prior to the lengthy hiatus. Can you tell folks a bit about how and why the album ended up being shelved at that time, and what made you decide that it was ultimately time to release it now?
Cindy: In my view, it was a combination of situations and events that lead to the delay of getting our record out sooner. It was Spring of 2019. We had just done the Tomorrow’s Ghosts Festival in Whitby. Erick had already moved to New Orleans, so we no longer lived in the same city. We were still working on tracking/mixing of songs, and then the great pandemic of 2020 hit. Then it was lockdown city for all of us. During lockdown, Erick was pursuing other musical projects during that time. I was navigating some personal changes (the ending of a long-term relationship and two moves) and really just a lot of life getting in the way, as it does. After some time apart, I think we all knew eventually this work would put us back together. So, many Zoom/FaceTime calls later, we reconvened and made a commitment to one another that we wanted to see this album reach an audience and put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into finishing what we started.
Dru: No matter what I just couldn’t imagine not getting the third album out. Somehow, I always felt confident that the time would come around. And when it did, it was really positive to reconnect, to relisten to the album and put the effort into finalizing and sharing it. I can identify the good that came out of this period without being too Pollyanna, in that we all worked on certain aspects of our lives and grew as people. For me, I dove into folk music and took so many singing seminars, especially Georgian and Balkan music. And I finally got creatively active in Switzerland, joining a choir and starting a small vocal ensemble with friends. The years also gave me a deep sense of appreciation for what we created, and for Cindy and Erick as people.
Erick: The pandemic and global lockdown really made working together pretty much non-existent. I also literally just moved to New Orleans unannounced. That period before the pandemic I was extremely unhappy and overwhelmed with the band at times, and we all had different needs/wants within Mercury’s Antennae and I felt restricted. Through the lockdown and having caught covid – I listened to the rough mixes a lot, and once I recovered, the time had come where I felt I needed to work towards making amends with the people I really cared for and created this body of work with. Listening to Among the Black Trees and the contributions from Cindy and Dru truly moved me to come back to them and our music. Relationships are tricky and complicated.
You’ve talked about themes of loss and grief, and ruptured relationships surrounding this album: there was even a period during which some of you barely spoke. But you’ve also spoken about reconciliation, healing, resolve, and personal growth; and the album being your most personal statement to date. Now that you’ve released Among the Black Trees, does it feel like you’ve ultimately come to terms with some of those themes you were grappling with?
Cindy: It isn’t often that one is faced with a global pandemic. It was a terrifying time, and in those moments, you really come to appreciate what is important in life. Mercury’s Antennae started out as a duo. I was invited to join partly, because of my history with Dru, but I found an instant musical connection in my collaborations with Erick. It truly felt like a lightning-in-a-bottle situation in a lot of ways. Having those close relationships artistically can be like other relationships, Dru and Erick are a part of my musical make-up and are truly family members to me in a lot of ways. Sometimes family members have spats and disagreements. It is the nature of interpersonal bonds. I think this album is a labor of love to one another and something that I believe we can be truly proud of.
Dru: Cindy puts this all really well. I feel something deep when I think of some of the tough moments during the isolation of the pandemic, or when we weren’t communicating much. But I love that Cindy found something unique with MA compared to her musical past. And I get that, I feel like I did too.
Despite dealing with some very personal subjects, the album also deals with some broader reaching issues, like forest fires, for example. How important is it to balance self-expression with social observation? Or are they ultimately the same thing?
Dru: I have probably said this in other interviews, but my lyrics tend to be a bit stream of consciousness. So, in Mercury’s I have put somewhat less self-expression into the vocals. I’ll hear phrases sometimes quite clearly and things can fall together pretty quickly, such as the “Language of the Stars” or “Moon Viewing Garden”. It’s really like the music is telling me what is needed. It also helps especially if a song comes “pre-named”, like “Reflecting Skin”, or when the theme of the song has already been shared by Cindy or Erick—I think they both gave me their thoughts on “Among the Black Trees”, and this really informed the lyrics, which are also a dedication to our friend Fred “Freak” Smith who was murdered in 2017. I was trying to make the connection between the renewal of a charred forest, hoping that it comes back healthily, and the fate of a loved one who has departed this world—even if that only means that their atoms join the great cosmos.
Erick: All of the music ideas are inspired by nature, relationships, and life events that change us forever whether for the positive or negative or simply for the beauty and darkness in all things and the esoteric and existential within. Writing/recording the musical ideas just happen if I am able to accept the responsibility in channelling/receiving these ideas from the ether unknown to creating the song.
On the face of it, it might be difficult for some readers to reconcile how the album could be on the one handwritten and conceived seven or eight years ago, while also being reflective of where you’re at within yourselves now, following the time that’s elapsed since then. Did Among the Black Trees change and evolve quite a bit from where it started back in 2018?
Cindy: This does not sound like a dated album to me. Not every concept was born in 2018. We made multiple tweaks over the time we worked together on this project. I am sure we are not the only band who took a pause in the middle of their creative process to work on personal growth, spent time with family, lived through devastating hurricanes (and sustained damage from said hurricanes) and took a beat to focus on mental health and well-being in order to be able to fully commit and focus on our artistry. We don’t have the luxury of being full-time musicians. Sometimes life can get in the way. But it makes our collaborations all that much more special, when they do occur.
Dru: It’s true that most of the tracks were almost completed 6 or 7 years ago, but Erick sort of reattacked the whole album before we went to mastering, and this was a great benefit for us, because in the meantime he had really grown as a musician and engineer. I think we had all updated our musical ears too. And this doesn’t even take into account the alternate versions of the songs we released, such as “The Reflecting Skin” remixed by William Faith, and a couple of new versions of “The Veil Opaque” that we’ve just released (December 2025). I absolutely adore the different directions of these songs; they are surprising even to me.
You’re each known for your work in other bands and collaborations too, both before and after forming Mercury’s Antennae. As artists, what are some of the main things that you’ve each developed or picked up from working with other projects, that you felt you were most able to put to good use within Mercury’s Antennae?
Cindy: I think my musical collaborations with This Ascension and to a lesser degree, my involvement with Faith & the Muse (although primarily that was as a live performer, but certainly helped keep my bass playing chops in check!), definitely paved the way for my creative input in Mercury’s Antennae. In all the other bands I’ve been in, the songs were mostly conceived by others (there are exceptions of course). But with MA, Dru and Erick were really looking to collaborate and brought me into what really has become sort of a three-way partnership. I have never felt more creatively free than I have in this band, and it has been very fulfilling artistically.
Dru: Interestingly, I don’t know that my history in This Ascension or Mirabilis compares to my place in MA. In both I always valued collaboration, and was never attracted to a band model where there is one “main person”, though that can be totally fine and work for many groups. I definitely recognize the contributions of Erick and Cindy thanks to their histories: Cindy has the most experience performing live, especially at higher profile shows—to me she is the professional expert ?. When she mentions a “three-way partnership”, it’s interesting because 3 is a number related to construction and adds balance to the band on a relational level—whereas 2 people can just disagree and there might be an impasse, a third person can add a different point of view… which is sometimes not easy, but always valuable. And Erick also gained a lot of experience playing live so much over the last years with The Palace of Tears. In addition, he’s very technically gifted, and curious, so is always upping his game. Even though we have a lot in common with the 90s ethereal and shoegaze genres, I think we are always adapting our sound and adding modern touches.
How has the time apart changed the dynamic and evolution of the band? Do you think in that time you’ve each gone away and brought back something new to how you work together collectively?
Cindy: I think that element is always evolving. When I first joined the band, Dru and Erick were both living in the Bay Area. Then Dru moved to Switzerland, then Erick moved to Portland (where I have lived for 17 years), so during various iterations of the band, two of us lived in the same city. But there were certainly periods where that was not the case. I don’t feel like that distance is evident in our work though. The fact that we have managed to sustain a commitment despite our geographic challenges tells you how passionately we feel about our work together. It is truly special and not something I take for granted.
Dru: As I’ve been in Switzerland for 12 years, things haven’t changed much on my side of the process. But I imagine for Cindy and Erick there is a great opportunity to be living in the same area again. I wish I could be there too somehow, or that the transporter from Star Trek were real. As many technical advances as there are, there is still something magical about being together in person and especially playing music. Those first couple of rehearsals after so long really gave me the feels!
Erick: Performing live is truly my favourite thing to do with Mercury’s music and I wish there had been more time allowed to do a full-on tour. It for sure is a challenge to recreate the music for the live setting. I tend to look at songs we perform live as their own altered versions. If it’s just us a trio, then yes, our sound is a bit more minimal sounding. But If I am able to add a second guitarist for live performances as I’ve done in the past, the live sound really becomes very dense and layered.
Dru: Just want to acknowledge the beautiful contributions of Neil McKay from Autumn here. I always love playing with him, and just us getting to hang out together!
Have there been new Mercury’s Antennae songs written since you resumed working together again?
Cindy: Erick has teased that he’s got some demos he’s ready to share, so we shall see!
Erick: I’d say at this point in time I have around 9 demo song ideas to present to Cindy and Dru once we are able to commit to working on music. Our work for Among the Black Trees started again in 2021 or 2022 with many cycles in creative output, promotion, video and investing in working with a PR company and life stuff to today answering questions for Devolution has been over 3 and 1/2 years in the making. We are currently taking a step back for a break… I will be working to start back up with my other ethereal band The Palace of Tears. I hope to start working on new music with Cindy and Dru once our rest period is done.
Is there an intentionally synchronistic relationship between Tess Records and Sett Records?
Cindy: There certainly is. My brother, William Faith, in a later iteration of Tess Records, became fairly heavily involved with the label. It is in fact the label that put out all the This Ascension releases (Tess was originally started by Dru) and the first two Faith & the Muse releases (Elyria and Annwyn, Beneath the Waves). Sett Records is the creation of my brother.
Dru: This is perfectly described. Indeed, I started Tess with Matt Ballasteros (from This Ascension). I think we also included Blade Fetish (an earlier project of Matt’s with Ashkelon Sain of Trance to the Sun) on Tess, before William really brought things to the next level though. Sett also brought Tess alumni Autumn into the fold and some other creative folks such as Tess’s artistic director Clovis IV and engineer/producer Chad Blinman.
For those following closely, late last year you quietly released a cover of Leonard Cohen’s ‘If it Be Your Will’. What brought that about? And was there a reason for letting it sneak out under the radar like that?
Cindy: We had done the cover live some years back and eventually recorded it. We wanted to commemorate Cohen’s 90th birthday by releasing it. I don’t think it was sneakily done, at least that was not the intention! Certainly, we’d like for people to hear our music, which includes cover versions of other people’s music as well.
Dru: I don’t think it was intended to be so quiet, but maybe we were unconsciously testing the waters. Shout out to Suzanne Perry (Melodyguild, Love Spirals Downwards) for the idea to do this specific song! It was meant as a duet, and we did perform it as such, once in L.A… maybe we can record an alternate version of it someday.
Erick: “Sneaking? Sssnneaking!!” – Gollum (LOTR)
On record, Mercury’s Antennae has a sound that seems to depend very heavily on layers, textures, ambience and atmosphere. Where does one even begin with trying to represent that sound in a live trio setting?
Cindy: It is certainly no small feat! I am sure Erick would be better suited to answer this question more fully.
Dru: Yes help, Erick! Although I will say that during our most recent tour, I got the impression that everyone had turned down quite a bit, and I think this helped define our sound.
Erick: To translate our songs for a live performance takes considerable amount of thought and experimentation with what parts take precedence in order to perform the Music as authentic as we can. In some ways its more stripped down in a live setting… Bass, Vocals, Backing Electronics and one Guitar (sometimes two). Most our recordings have 4 to 5 layers of guitars with one main guitar part and usually I go for this approach and add layers through looping, swapping EFX patches for certain part of a song or trying to play two guitar parts at once. In regards to the use of backing tracks and electronics… again considerable amount of thought and intention goes into mixing the electronics for the live environment. Drums are always first and sometimes a bit more upfront than perhaps the album – the same goes for rhythm loops and synths. Again, it’s usually a more stripped-down approach that takes precedence for a fuller, driving sound and more clarity. In some ways it supports this idea that the songs we chose to perform live are their own different versions than that of the album. I feel this really showcases our ability to perform as a live band. The live versions of these songs have different moods and meanings, and we perform them differently than that of a studio setting, even sometimes the songs re-write themselves and evolve into something new and deeper. Lastly – as I’m rambling I think here – to me it’s about offering something otherworldly, textured and very spacious… yet we also feel that there needs to be a focus on theme, intention and attitude in how we plan our setlist… ethereal yet driven… ambient yet brooding… soft yet slightly chaotic and noisy… earthy yet full of oceanic air.
In the past, the band has played live at European festivals including Wave Gotik Treffen in Germany and Tomorrow’s Ghosts Festival in Whitby. What are some of your favourite memories of playing in the UK and mainland Europe?
Cindy: Too many to name here! All of our experiences playing abroad have been hugely positive. It is so inspiring to perform and bring our music to U.K. / European audiences. I am always amazed at how well organized the festivals are. The crew are always prepared and so helpful in assisting with technical needs or requests. Music seems to be revered as a true art form in a way that is different in the States. It’s something I’ll never take for granted.
Dru: This brings up such amazing memories. It was such a total honor to be part of both of these. I too really commend these festivals; everyone works so hard. As a music fan too, I had an amazing time.
Erick: One memory that arrives to me quickly is from Tomorrow’s Ghosts Festival in Whitby – Mark Burgess (Chameleons UK) kept buying me these very strong Ciders and we kept talking for hours on all things esoteric. I ended getting pretty blurry eyed with him…
Dru: Actually, that was almost going to be the memory I mentioned, watching you two in deep discussion…
Back home in the US, you played again live in July for the first time in quite a while. What did you most look forward to and enjoy about those shows?
Cindy: I think just having we three back on a stage together after so much time apart. Getting lost in the music and connecting in that non-verbal way us musicians do. I have told Dru this many times in our musical careers together, but her voice always feels like home to me, and as they say, “there’s no place like home.”
Dru: Aww! Thank you. You sound better than ever. For me, on the first level, I was happy just to see each other, being in the same room, in the car, etc. It was great to catch up but also discover each other through a new lens of being a bit older, having different responsibilities and priorities. At the same time, there was something fundamentally constant and reassuring too. It was really encouraging and made me definitely want to repeat it, and not wait another 6 years.
Erick: I personally daydreamed many times of performing once again next to these very powerful creative women who really make up the majority of this band. There is nothing like hearing Cindy’s bass on stage and her presence is really inspiring – very focused and grounding. Dru – I don’t really have the right language or words to express how it feels to perform alongside her on stage… Honestly, it’s not easy to perform with her at times as I find myself almost brought to tears with her singing.
Are there any plans for the band to return to the UK and Europe?
Cindy: None as of yet. But we’d love to be invited!
Dru: I agree, let’s go!
Erick: Can you help with this?? Pretty Please……
Would you like to add anything else about the new album and the band’s current activities that you haven’t had a chance to talk about in the press so far?
Cindy: We’re looking at the possibility of doing a slew of dates next Autumn. Needless to say, this will require a significant amount of planning. But we are discussing it.
Dru: Yes, we have some interesting ideas!
Any parting messages for your fans in the UK?
Cindy: Just really appreciative of the opportunity to chat about our band. Thank you for the interest and support. We are so grateful!
Latest video for ‘The Veil Opaque v.2’ on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBkjGYaQNeE
‘The Veil Opaque v.2’ 4-track digital maxi-single / remix EP on Bandcamp:
https://mercurysantennae.bandcamp.com/album/the-veil-opaque-v-2
Bandcamp: https://mercurysantennae.bandcamp.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mercurysantennae/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mercurys_antennae/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0eTa0is7cisVuIaaLGxBKH