THORNHILL: MERCIA SINGLE REVIEW
- Kirsty Shepherd
- Oct 1
- 2 min read
"Australia’s genre-blurring heavyweights Thornhill have dropped brand new single and music video, Mercia. The release comes as the band step onto U.S. arena stages as direct
support for Sleep Token’s completely sold-out Even in Arcadia tour."
"Mercia offers a devastating exploration of love, loss, and the emotional wreckage left behind. The new track arrives in the wake of Thornhill’s most expansive and globally resonant release to date - their 2025 full-length BODIES, which debuted at #4 on the ARIA Albums Chart, #8 on Spotify UK’s Top Album Debuts, and secured Top 40 entries across multiple Billboard U.S. charts, including Hard Music, Rock, and Independent Albums. With over 107 million
streams, 15M+ YouTube views, and a rapidly growing U.S. fanbase, Thornhill’s momentum has now become undeniable."
I personally found the song slow starting but quite enjoyed it past the two minute thirty seconds mark where the song picks up in tempo and ferocity, becoming more of what I was expecting from the song. In general the song gives the feeling of the ultimate baby of northlane, Polaris and sleep token. The track has a broad use of musical techniques that if you are a music nerd, I could see you deep diving happily into its depths.
Speaking on the new single, vocalist Jacob Charlton shares: “Mercia is a song about loving someone lost in their own abyss. It speaks to the ache of giving everything—warmth, devotion, even the hope of carrying their pain—only to be met with silence and defences, by ‘vaults’ and ‘ice’. At its heart, the song is about the futility of trying to heal what resists healing, and the way that struggle leaves you altered, hardened, and haunted. By the close, the speaker admits they are sinking under the weight of their beloved’s spectre. They’ve been hardened by the experience — so much so that they can’t offer mercy anymore.”
the film clip is a cinematic experience, starting off with light and bright colours, smiling faces and dancing in a day time settings, Jacob lying in grass and an airy energy before switching into a darker place, turning to heavier themes, textures and expression as the video plays out. The mood shifts as it transitions to night time with the same women running through wooded areas, with terrified facial expressions. the parallel pushes the narrative keeping you on theme with the song. with full transparency of my experience I had a more enjoyable time listening to the song while watching the video than I did on my first two listens with just the track.
Thornhill will be on tour in february with special guests Amira elfeky, paledusk and Heavensgate, starting in Brisbane at the Tivoli (21st), before heading to sydney's enmore theatre (22nd), perth's Astor theatre (24th) then the gov in Adelaide (26th) before hitting their home town at the forum (27th).
yOU CAN BUY TICKETS FOR THE QUICK SELLING BODIES TOUR FROM DESTROY ALL LINES AT THE LINK BELOW.
For fans of: Architects, Northlane, Polaris and spiritbox
7.5/10
