Sometimes if you stay underground too long and don’t make enough waves in this treacherous biz you drown—in the case of Mere Mortals you just get better. They got a great Jonesy Jukebox plug a few years ago, have been featured in L.A. Times Buzz Bands and regularly get choice sets at Spaceland, the Echo and Silverlake Lounge, yet still somehow have been forced to DIY with a persistence that shows this shit is real to them.

Lead by vocalist/songwriter Axel Steuerwald, the band has undertaken the normal lineup adjustments that plague bands after years of playing. This new edition includes Mimi Star, who has been onboard for more than a year, newly added Todd Demma on drums and Derek Walker on lead guitar. Mere Mortals have evolved from their Brit-pop comparisons into a mix of droney psychedelic songs that mix structure with mind-bending freak-outs.  They effortlessly move between moods and this isn’t a fill-in-the blank band to compare their music to—this is substance eat it whole.

At Spaceland on Saturday night, Mere Mortals immediately pulled you into their web with the spacey “Reverberation.” New material such as “Come Down Easy” made it clear that the pop hook is not exclusive from melody bleeding into the apocalyptic–a gorgeous song that led nicely into “Telescopes,” which was driven by the thump of the petite but mighty Mimi Star’s bass lines.

Fans of Mere Mortals were treated to songs off last years self-released Rebel Radio EP—“Jesus Trip” with its tongue-in-bible refrain for Jesus to come on down, pilling on layers of guitar and vocals to plead the case. When asked how the new line-up feels Axel exclaimed, “The new line-up changed everything. It feels a lot more like some sonic collective than one person’s vision, which really freed up the sound and the writing. The response at live shows has been amazing.”

— E.E.