Music News - Mermaidens Share 'Lizard' Single & Announce Album on Flying Nun
04 April 2017 - 0 Comments
Mermaidens are a three-piece
outfit from Wellington, New Zealand, who are renowned for their intricate and
unique songwriting, boldly raw but increasingly refined studio production, and
a hypnotic live synergy that leaves audiences enchanted. Their sound offers a
mesmerising dip into the realms of post-punk and psych, while the voices
of Gussie Larkin and Lily West embrace
warm harmonies and dreamy, hypnotic lyrics, entwined with dark and moody
riff-based melodies, underpinned by Abe Hollingsworth's fluid and dynamic
percussion.
Their new album Perfect
Body is due out on 4th of August via Flying Nun.
Today they share the new single Lizard with the UK's Clash Music who wrote: "Mermaidens are able to share
intriguing new cut 'Lizard' and it offers noisy, scratchy, enigmatic
songwriting."
Mermaidens' entrance onto the NZ music scene was extremely strong following the releases of their widely acclaimed debut EP O in 2014 and subsequent album Undergrowth in 2016. As a result, they were offered dozens of national shows and international support slots, which led to them being picked up by Flying Nun Records, who release the band’s first international album
Drawing inspiration from bands like Warpaint, Fugazi, Exploded View and Sleater-Kinney, Mermaidens formed in 2013, having been friends in high school. Lily and Gussie had nervously shown each other songs they’d written before collaborating together. The name Mermaidens seemed to fit well as it’s fun and a little bit silly, yet dark at the same time. As Gussie explains; “I guess that’s us in a nutshell.”
The band released their first EP O in 2014 (Flying
Out), which was a raw and enthralling DIY offering, recorded at drummer Abe’s
parents house. There was a focus on capturing the ‘live’ element of the songs,
which has always been very important to Mermaidens' music. The tracks Wonder and Cold Skin were
re-recorded for their debut album Undergrowth,
as they were important pieces in the puzzle and the band felt they deserved a
more polished and refined approach. The LP was released in 2016 and received
critical acclaim and widespread interest amongst influential online music and
style platforms including Noisey, i-D, and The 405. The
excitement around Mermaidens’ debut album was
encapsulated by i-D contributor Wendy Syfret, who
described them as one of; “New Zealand's most enigmatic and
engaging young bands.”
Perfect
Body features many of the familiar characteristics of the Mermaidens sound,
with twinkly, reverb-laden guitar lines, rich vocal harmonies and vibrant
drums. They have expanded on these sounds, bringing in even more dynamic
elements, building richer melodic layers and a wider range of guitar textures,
as they explore different levels of dissonance. Each song bursts with energy
and variety, with contrasting light and dark, and they’ve left space for mellow
and brooding instrumentals underpinning a powerful vocal melody.
Thematically, the album is about growing up and developing their art, their minds and their bodies as they mature. Their lyrics are like a mantra to themselves. As Gussie explains: “While writing the album Lily and I had both been thinking and talking about pleasure and pressure. By that I mean the contrast of being in a blissful state, but with an underlying anxiety or uncertainty being present too.” The sun is also a recurring theme on the album - the feeling of craving the sun and being rewarded with the blissful sensation of its warmth on your skin, which ties back to the pleasure/pressure references throughout.
Having shied away from placing themselves front and centre in the artwork for previous releases, the new album marks a change for Mermaidens. They’re keen to command the listener’s attention rather than lulling them into dream space, so they decided to have a powerful image of themselves on the album cover. “The image still has a supernatural element to it but it feels very personal,” explains Gussie.
Mermaidens pride themselves on an engaging and polished live performance. Their impressive portfolio of support slots and sold out shows, attests to the charm and excellence of their live show. In just a few years Mermaidens have sold out major venues in New Zealand as well as supporting international acts such as Death Cab For Cutie, Sleater Kinney, and Mac Demarco, and Windhand.
As a band who have grown dramatically since their inception, both creatively and musically, Mermaidens are undoubtedly a band to watch very closely, and are set to make a similar impact on the global music scene as they have at home in New Zealannd.
Listen toLizard here (feel free to share!)
https://soundcloud.com/flyingnunrecords/mermaidens-lizard
Mermaidens photos by Russell Kleyn
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