Brother Mary is the new project of Ivano Milo, a young Athens artist, but his musical history is longer than one might expect. Prior to writing and performing under his chosen moniker, Milo played in a folk band (Stir the Fog) as well as multiple punk bands (The Grandest Canyon, Downer, Floaters). The connection between punk and electronica isn’t as disparate as one may imagine, especially considering the minimal nature of Brother Mary’s electropop and the simplistic constructs of punk.

The opening notes of “Mescaline” sound tentative, a secretive vulnerability which belies the effortless manner in which the track unfolds. While it isn’t as simple as a hardcore song, there is a directness which makes it easy to trace a line from point A to point B within the track. Milo guides the listener with forthright hooks rather than circular sounds, displaying his love for pop and a distaste for anything overly experimental.

With a name like “Mescaline,” you might expect something far more drug addled, but instead, Brother Mary trades spaced-out psychedelia for intimate tones that melt down into something slightly beyond the real world. Maybe it’s just the stage name which insinuates the spiritual, but there is a downtempo gospel that lurks in the lyrics and brings out the ecstatic in the mundane. Listen below.

Immolate! is out May 6.

Brother Mary will celebrate the release of Immolate! on Friday, May 6 at 818 Virgil Street in Atlanta. Supporting him will be French Mistake, New Money, and Jarrod Milton. Doors open at 9 p.m. Admission is FREE.

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Facebook: @brothermary
SoundCloud: @brother-mary