Hasten Mercy
Hasten Mercy
(Global Heist Recordings/Neurodisc Records)

“Star You Are,” with its kinetic backbeat piano and driving percussion kicks us off on Hasten Mercy’s self-titled EP. These 3-songs represent the solo project of Head Fake band member Michael Baker. Surely, one gets Baker’s personality slithering through these tight little pop/dance/New Wave numbers. As he begins us off here and is apparent throughout this EP, Baker has solid control of production and songwriting, layering in single key lines, placing his soulful vocal above the brew, subtly creating a solid soundscape within each tune, beginning with this first one.

Second song in “These Things” pulsates and snaps, at least from the beginning of the tune, creating an atmosphere you can dig around in. The layering of vocals on the chorus, again that sly peppering in of single key lines and Baker’s distinctive voice, makes this middle one of the trio of tunes here, my favorite.

An echoey piano is layered under what might be Baker’s most expressive vocal here, on the last tune, “I Break Everything,” a true heartbreaker of a break up song. Once again, Baker gives the music only what it needs, a brush of harmony, a backing beat that’s barely audible, a breathy key line.

This three-song EP is a grand old, ‘just the tip’ kind of a tease for wanting more from Hasten Mercy and Michael Baker. But this trio will surely get you on your way.