Merchant "I Hate It Here"

LA artist, Merchant, is a synth-pop powerhouse.

After his dad worked on a show with Duran Duran's John Taylor on VH1 in the early 2000s they became close friends. When Merchant began working on his early demos, he built up the courage and shared them with Taylor who has since taken him under his wing.

The songwriting is top tier but the dancey synth riffs are what makes this project really shine. If John Taylor has any interest in becoming the synth-pop dad that Travis Barker is for pop-punk, I'm totally here for it.