Photo by Steven Acres
Wellington post punk/psych rock trio Mermaidens have released the introspective yet insistent ‘Millenia’, the second single to be lifted from their forthcoming album Look Me In The Eye. It follows up the lyrically inquisitive and musically osmotic first taste of the album ‘I Might Disappear’ which they debuted in June and continues the band’s observational and intellectual exploration into the social drivers behind and emotional tendencies characteristic of modern society.
‘Millenia’s dexterous and searchingly applied riffs and melodies and cohesive harmonies serve to give the track a heightened yet compact aura. That’s despite both its shapeshifting arrangements and the deceptively subtle angles cut by an almost instructively mournful low end. Together they serve to reflect the track’s focus on the brief highs and intense lows brought on by the pointless and in the end self-limiting quest for instant gratification associated with many forms of modern communication. Bassist and vocalist Lily West explains;
“I wanted us to explore the mess of feelings I have around this twisted intersection of social media, identity, privacy, and a warped sense of reality. The hole of hunger that a social feed leaves in your mind; you should be a better version of yourself, you should be younger and more successful, busier, and you should share all this so everyone knows.”
Mermaiden are made up of West, guitarist and fellow vocalist Gussie Larkin and drummer Abe Hollingsworth and the James Goldsmith produced Look Me In The Eye is their third album. It comes in the wake of 2017’s impressive Perfect Body and their debut from 2016 Undergrowth and will be self-released under license from New Zealand’s independent mainstay Flying Nun. Listen to ‘Look Me In The Eye below and pre-order the album here.
Tracklist
1. Crying in the Office
2. Sleeptalker
3. Millenia
4. I Might Disappear
5. The Cut
6. She’s Running
7. Bastards
8. Best to Hate the Man
9. Priorities
Millenia
Mermaidens (NZL)
From the forthcoming album, ‘Look Me In The Eye’, Self Released/Flying Nun Records. Out Sept. 6.
Audio Stream