Artist: Mercedes
Title: Makeshift Chemistry
Genre(s): Indie Pop, Doo-Wop, Indie Rock
Length: 3:04
Writer(s): M.Payne
Producer(s): Mercedes
Label: Five Pesky Kids
From The Album: TBA
INFORMATION"Makeshift Chemistry" is a song recorded by British singer Mercedes. The track was released on July 13, 2025 through Five Pesky Kids Records. It follows on from Payne's immensely successful comeback record, "No Guts, No Glory", a collaboration with Riley Hamilton which gave the respective artists their first #1 singles. The track was entirely written and produced by Mercedes herself from within The Duke of Winchester, the ship in which she resides alongside boyfriend Erich Hess. "Makeshift Chemistry" was conceptualised around the same time Hamilton created "No Guts, No Glory" with the singer, inspiring Mercedes to continue "playing around" with making music in a loose, non-committal fashion.
Lyrically, "Makeshift Chemistry" centres around the story of a single woman who is fast approaching thirty years old and is indulging in reckless behaviours due to the societal pressures regarding what she should have been seen to have achieved by now. Themes throughout the track include; alcohol abuse, promiscuity, shame and the desire to be seen and loved. Payne sings about drinking copious amounts of alcohol in bars and clubs in the hope of capturing the attention of both potential sexual conquests and general onlookers. The opening lines;
"Kebab shop lighting doing this guy no favours / Swear he was cuter over the Disaronno" set the comedic tone which is laced throughout the song, creating a lighter atmosphere surrounding the darker subject matter. "Makeshift Chemistry" highlights the societal pressures women feel to have started a family and have "made it" by the time one turns 30. Throughout the song, Payne frantically clutches at straws in the hope of finding someone to settle down with, begrudgingly overlooking the many flaws of the men she happens to encounter in these bars. Desperate and feeling shamed, she admits to happily settling for anything "makeshift" just as a way of having something to show for herself.
"Makeshift Chemistry" is an upbeat indie pop song with elements of Doo-wop and rock. Following in the footsteps of "No Guts, No Glory", Mercedes continues to veer away from the pop and R&B styling of the music she debuted with in the early 2010's, opting for rockier and punk-leaning sonics instead. "Makeshift Chemistry" features a prominent surf guitar riff and takes inspiration from popular music of the 1950's and 60's, more specifically girl groups of the era such as The Ronettes and The Supremes. The catchy girl group-esque melodies, repetitive hook and harmonies provide a much softer, poppier edge over the guitar driven track. As the song builds, Mercedes' vocal harmonies continuously stack over one another, with the production flourishing in a grand manner as it introduces brass instrumentation towards the song's crescendo.
SONG COMMENTARYMercedes wrote:"A lot of the music I've written as of late take inspiration from my life over the last decade, specifically the mid to late 2010's - that interim between first bursting onto the scene and now coming back into the spotlight. Despite having brushed shoulders with the most wonderful, enigmatic people you could ever wish to encounter and having achievements to my name that people would kill for, I still felt like a failure for many years. I was stuck in record label limbo, more and more time was passing, my friends were all taking off with their careers and love lives, and I felt redundant in a way. I was tied up in so much legal red tape for years, I had no music to show for myself, to promote, to be proud of. A lot of people assumed I was just being lazy or that I was irrelevant now and nobody cared. I had nothing tangible to show the world. Behind closed doors, I couldn't even fixate on building up a sturdy personal life because my time was spent dealing with legal issues and trying to stay afloat financially. Friends were getting married, having babies, moving house and I just felt on the peripheral of everything...hence the destructive tendencies coming out in a plea of desperation."
"I remember that the only thing I looked forward to for the best part of about 2 years was going out at the weekend, drinking my own body weight in spirits and just looking for validation. Writing the song, it started out as deeply personal but I didn't want it to be an angry track or come across as "woe is me". I expanded on the idea that it's not just me who has felt this way. Women across the world feel the pressures of society to have a husband, do the traditional things, blah blah. All that crap. There's also the element of ageism. 30 is like a dirty number when it comes to us. You're "past it". You're no longer young and desirable. You're supposed to be an adult and have all your shit sorted. I wanted to tap into that with some of the language. It's almost as if I'm being derogatory towards myself but I'm just echoing the sentiments of society."
"If you also don't want to look any further and turn a pop song into a think piece, "Makeshift Chemistry" is just a good old laugh at past mistakes. We've all been there guys, gals and and non-binary pals. We've all done stupid things when we're hurting or yearning. We've all pulled back the bedsheets the next morning in suspense like an episode of CSI. "What the hell was I thinking?" has been gasped in horror for eons. Vodka has a lot to answer for."
CRITICAL RECEPTIONUpon release, "Makeshift Chemistry" received generally positive reviews. Anaya Kaur of
Drowned in Sound gave the track a positive review, calling it
"daring" before stating that it is
"yet another kooky, bombastic little number helping pave Mercedes' way towards being the most intriguing artist of 2025". Gerard Turpin from
The Guardian cited comparisons to Payne's previous single as well as the musical output from boyfriend Erich Hess, stating;
"Surf guitar licks, 60's girl group fluff and comedic lyrics about drug abuse and society's less desirable, it's evident that surrounding herself with The Hess Clan for numerous years has rubbed off on her". Turpin then went on to claim that the song
"doesn't come across as contrived, however" and that
"Mercedes is effortlessly cool, putting her own stamp on it and carving out her own lane with much aplomb." American publication
Slant Magazine hailed the track as
"Best of British", highlighting Payne's
"comedic genius penmanship" and her
"wink-wink, nudge-nudge vocal delivery".
Paul Lukowski of
Pitchfork opined that Mercedes is
"more than a meme queen before further praising her return to music, writing;
"While Mercedes could easily reach out to Christopher Hudson for the radio-ready hook, hit up Jadyn Ghalen for that obligatory crossover feature and rely on Pesky to send any of her new output stratospheric with minimal effort; our favourite hard-working diva is really proving her chops, assaulting us with another homegrown quirky, sense-assaulting little ditty that we're not quite sure many others could pull off." Saffron Kaye of
The Line of Best Fit echoed very similar sentiments to Lukowski and claimed;
"Despite being a well-known face since 2012, Mercedes is still one to watch. We're only on the precipice when it comes to what she has up her sleeves."
"MAKESHIFT CHEMISTRY"La-diddy-diddy-la-di-da-da-dum
La-diddy-diddy-la-di-da-da-dumKebab shop lighting doing this guy no favours
Swear he was cuter over the Disaronno
Something funky in his roll-up papers
Rock hard pitta with a side of blow
Dread to think what kind of state his place is
Wager anything it ain't a château
Best friend left with someone else's mister
These stupid shoes are gonna leave me blistered
Rational side can already hear the whispers
Should call a cab before the plot gets thicker
Neck-deep in this not-20-anymore insanity
Getting by on a little makeshift chemistry
Hurry up and fall recklessly in love with me
Was only yesterday that my future looked bright
Now another questionable choice on a Friday night
Choke it down, drown it out like;La-diddy-diddy-la-di-da-da-dum
La-diddy-diddy-la-di-da-da-dumThe hottest mess in a backless dress
But goddamn it hasn't let me down so far
Left lipstick on some boys, scratches on chests
Jaws on the sticky floor as I dance along the bar
So what if it's gone 1, like the law knows best?
Can't throw me out, bitch, I'm a fucking star!
With a glass half full, do I present as deeper?
Dip a pinkie in, will I go down sweeter?
Think the cabbie's tampered with the bloody meter
Triple charge, yeah, that drunken lush procedure
Neck-deep in this not-20-anymore insanity
Getting by on a little makeshift chemistry
Hurry up and fall recklessly in love with me
Was only yesterday that my future looked bright
Now another questionable choice on a Friday night
Choke it down, drown it out like;La-diddy-diddy-la-di-da-da-dum
La-diddy-diddy-la-di-da-da-dumHere comes Monday morning with the blues in tow
Kickdrum in the head reaping what I sowed
Inspect the bed and seems I got home alone
Grateful or disheartened, at this stage I just don't know
La-diddy-diddy-la-di-da-da-dum
La-diddy-diddy-la-di-da-da-dumLa-diddy-diddy-la-di-da-da-dum
La-diddy-diddy-la-di-da-da-dumNeck-deep in this not-20-anymore insanity
Getting by on a little makeshift chemistry
Hurry up and fall recklessly in love with me
Was only yesterday that my future looked bright
Now another questionable choice on a Friday night
Choke it down, drown it out like;Neck-deep in this not-20-anymore insanity
Getting by on a little makeshift chemistry
Hurry up and fall recklessly in love with me
Was only yesterday that my future looked bright
Now another questionable choice on a Friday night
Choke it down, drown it out like;FUCK!
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