Bel Mercy Finds Hope in Uncertainty on “Better Days”

Los Angeles folk-rock duo Bel Mercy is looking toward the future without letting go of the past on their latest single, "Better Days." The release arrives as an early glimpse into a larger body of work from the duo, who independently handled every aspect of the project, from songwriting and production to artwork and distribution.

Made up of longtime partners Kristen and Chris, Bel Mercy channels decades of shared history into a sound steeped in the warmth of 1970s California. Their close harmonies and blend of folk and classic rock influences give "Better Days" a timeless quality, one that feels equally at home on a coastal drive or a moment of quiet reflection.

At its core, the song explores the uncertainty that arises when the head and heart refuse to agree. Inspired by the complicated emotions that can accompany major life decisions and shifting relationships, "Better Days" captures the uneasy space between doubt and hope.

What makes the track particularly compelling is its contrast. While the lyrics wrestle with difficult choices and the fear of getting things wrong, the music itself feels bright, uplifting, and full of movement. That push and pull mirrors the reality of change: even when the path ahead is unclear, there's still reason to believe brighter days are coming.

The release's nostalgic visual identity adds another layer of meaning. Featuring an old photograph of Kristen's late grandmother on the cover art, the project embraces the comfort of memory while moving toward the future.

With more music and live performances planned throughout the year, including an upcoming show at We Found New Music in Los Angeles, Bel Mercy is proving that sometimes growth isn't about leaving the past behind. It's about carrying it with you into whatever comes next.

You've been together for more than twenty years and have known each other since childhood. How has that shared history shaped not only your relationship but the way you write and create music together?

It’s been a wild ride spending twenty years watching each other become different people. It’s also a unique and beautiful experience to literally grow up alongside someone and have them be with you for all of the major (and minor) moments in your life that shape who you become. We basically don’t have to explain where a feeling came from because the other person was there. A lot of our shared language as songwriters comes from that.

It also takes a ton of teamwork and synchronicity to navigate such a long period of change, and we like to think that comes through in our music. Our songs are rooted in our experiences, but we hope others can see themselves in them, too. When we’re in our studio, whether we’re writing a new song or getting some recording done, it’s like we transcend into a different universe for a while, one where we get to exist just with each other and focus on making sense of our story through music.

"Better Days" feels uplifting and hopeful on the surface, but the lyrics tell a much more complicated story about uncertainty and relationships. What were you trying to capture emotionally with that contrast?

Relationships are intricate, and for all of the advice people in your life will give you, at the end of the day, sometimes you don’t know what’s right, and you just have to choose anyway. “Better Days” is about that feeling when your head and your heart aren’t necessarily in agreement, and you’re trying to have faith in yourself despite that.

The song feels uplifting because, at its core, it’s hopeful. It acknowledges that uncertainty can be painful, especially when it involves people you care about, but it also believes there’s something worth moving toward on the other side. In our personal lives, every meaningful road we’ve ever taken was paved with uncertainty but guided by hope. It can be a strange feeling to simultaneously doubt yourself while believing you’re heading somewhere important.

Our motto in life has always been: if you feel scared but excited, you’re probably moving in the right direction. We wanted the song to feel like that.

The single artwork features a photo of Kristen's late grandmother and leans into nostalgia. Why do you think we often look backward for comfort when we're trying to move forward?

We think there’s a tendency to look backward for comfort because we have a better grasp of the known, even when it's difficult or painful, than we do of the unknown future. There’s something reassuring about revisiting memories, places, and people that remind you who you are and where you’ve been. We wanted to create a universe for this song that feels like looking back through rose-colored glasses. So we opted to create artwork, including the single’s cover, that draws on 1950s and 1960s imagery to evoke a version of the past that feels so distant it's almost like a fantasy.

Of all the songs you could have chosen as your second release, why was Better Days the right one?

Better Days is the definition of an oldie but a goodie for us. It’s one of our earlier songs, and from the moment it was written, we never really changed it. Through all the times we’ve played it live and revisited it in the studio, the melody and lyrics have always stayed exactly where they belong. So, in a lot of ways, it’s been an anchor for us. When it came time to choose our second release, it felt like the natural choice. Not only is it one of our most requested songs, but it also feels like a strong foundation for everything we’re building as Bel Mercy.

You handled every aspect of this release yourselves, from production to branding. In an era of increasingly DIY artists, what have you learned about balancing creative freedom with the realities of being independent musicians?

It’s both hard and amazing (noticing a theme?). We’ve had to lean on years of our existing skills while also learning so many new ones to get the songs from writing to release. It feels like we wear at least twenty hats between the two of us, and then a lot of it comes down to trusting our own instincts.

But there’s incredible freedom in being independent. There are also real limitations in terms of time, resources, and energy. The beautiful part is that every challenge forces you to grow.

We’ve learned things through making this music that we never would have learned otherwise, and that process has shaped us just as much as the songs themselves. At the end of the day, there’s something incredibly rewarding about looking back and knowing that every piece of what people see and hear came from the two of us.