Start Listening To: Merpire

We spoke with Merpire about Jurassic Park movies, her most recent single and the love for being able to play gigs again.

For those unfamiliar with your music, can you tell us who you are, where you’re from, and a little bit about the music that you make? 

I’m an Australian songwriter residing in Melbourne with my 5-piece band. I write music as a catharsis for inner-turmoil in the shape of anxiety with oftentimes a positive reflection of what I’m learning about being a human. In a recorded and live setting, I’m all about dynamics. Honing in on sweet, quiet moments as well as huge guitars, synths, walls of sound and belted singing notes. We do whatever it takes to evoke the emotion expressed lyrically and instrumentally. With my producer James who’s also in my band, we write parts for each instrument that can intertwine and support one another.

What is your songwriting process like?

I don’t have one set way of writing but the most satisfying way is coming up with a set of guitar chords or riffs to match lyrics that were written while walking around favourite streets in my neighbourhood. Usually, I’ll write the guitar parts, then a syncopated melody will come as a verse of a chorus. A lot of the time I sing gibberish until one word that comes out interests me as something to write about. Sometimes I write exactly where the words would sit in a melody and then have to find words with the right amount of syllables to fit. That can be frustrating if I’m really set on that idea.

I’m really inspired by movies and novels with lots of description. Lyrically, I’ll try to describe as much as I can about one scene or one idea. If it’s a chair, it’s a rocking chair and it’s by a fire, rather than just sitting in a chair.

Rooms that sound great to sing and play in are really inspiring for writing too. I cat-sat for a couple of friends recently and ended up writing three songs in the two weeks I was there because every room in their house is so lovely to play in.

Since producing with James for the past three years, I’ve learnt to include production ideas when songwriting. Sometimes it’s guitar riffs or backing vocals that I’ll record separately on my phone then when it’s time to record; James will lay down a bunch of ideas I have and we flesh it out from there. It’s incredibly rewarding knowing that ideas that come up in my head can be brought to life with James.

How did you produce your recent single Dinosaur?

‘Dinosaur’ was recorded before I had much to do with the production process when recording. James changed a bit of the arrangement and wrote the whole outro too. His involvement in this song really was the beginning of a strong and trusting working relationship.

We recorded most of the parts at his parents’ house in his Mum’s sewing room! We lay down the vocals and extra guitar parts at his house in the city. I have an irrational fear of people hearing me sing and play when I’m not on stage so I was very anxious to record my screaming of the last two lines in his room while his housemates were home haha! We got there in the end!

What is the origin behind the title of the single?

Remember the scene in the first Jurassic Park movie where Sam Neill’s character says ‘If you stay still, they can’t see you”? He’s talking about the t-rex that has its teeth set on the kids as they scramble around the upturned Jeep to hide from it. Re-watching this movie as a socially anxious adult got me thinking about that idea in relation to other humans in social situations that you just don’t want to be a part of but can’t leave without people noticing. If only we could stay still and become invisible sometimes.

We love the music video for this single! How involved were you in the video? Can you tell us more about the concept?

There were a few nights of just lying awake in bed trying to force a video idea into existence… In the end, the idea came suddenly while on a walk around my neighbourhood, taking a break from trying to think of something... HA! Isn’t that always the way?! Out of nowhere, the whole video played out in my head. I raced home, going over and over it, adding more and more detail. Once home, I jumped on Pinterest and started building the visuals and writing out the idea. I’m lucky enough to live with Melbourne’s best videographer, Nick Mckk. He was sitting across from me while I couldn’t type or speak fast enough. It was such a beautiful relief. I really wanted it to be like a 90s sci-fi thriller where, as an audience, you can see the monster creeping in the background while the character is completely oblivious. I wanted some “look behind you, idiot!” moments.

I took references from the Jurassic Park movies as well as David Bowie’s The Labyrinth. Having worked together a bunch now, Nick was able to understand fully and bring this idea to life in an amazing way. With the help of set designer Grace Goodwin and another housemate who shoots beautifully, Rick Clifford, we built this truly nostalgic set underneath this huge trampoline in our front yard.

It’s funny, but just the act of putting a CD in a Discman and putting on those felty headphones brought back so many feelings and memories of listening to CDs in the back of the car on family road trips and daydreaming about whoever I had a crush on at the time. The creepy hands in the clip also represent those anxious thoughts that I had as a teenager but didn’t have a name for at the time.

For the band posters on the walls, I asked a bunch of my Melbourne friends if I could use photos of them and their bands’ work. Community is very important to me and I like to include them in my art any way I can.

What’s it like making music in Melbourne? Does the city influence you much?

I truly cannot express just how inspiring it is, making music within this community in Melbourne. I honestly never thought I could be a part of such a community before I moved to Melbourne three and a half years ago. We all go to each other's shows, write together, buy each other’s merch and support each other when we’re low and when we’re high.

This positive environment honestly took a bit of getting used to when I first moved down from Sydney. I was so worried that I wasn’t good enough to be a part of it. I was intimidated and so scared that one day they would all wake up and realise I wasn’t that talented/interesting/kind/“insert many more self-deprecating words here”. How fun is anxiety sometimes? After a good year or so of seeing a psychologist, embarking on a lot of personal development as well as the unwavering support around me, I learnt that neither they nor I were going anywhere. Learning from this fear and anxiety gave me a deeper appreciation for this community. Especially my immediate group of friends. We’ve seen each other at what we think is our worst and we’re still here for each other.

A song I released in 2019, ‘Habit’ is about just that — community and self-development. The music video includes some of the women in my circle who inspire me every day.

What are some challenges you’ve faced in the industry?

From the inside, out — self-worth has been a big one for many years and the classic “Imposter Syndrome”. The pandemic has allowed for deep reflection time and I am grateful for that. I’m a big believer in any challenge or problem being a chance to learn something I didn’t know before. The lack of self-worth in the past gave me the opportunity to really look at what I value in my life, not what I think I should value based on societal norms. The idea of success at the forefront of the music industry is not sustainable. The most celebrated successes - high numbers, stats, awards are great but at the end of the day are not goals that are within my control. I definitely like to celebrate these achievements but I choose to place more value on more measurable goals that are within my control such as giving myself the time and space required to spark creativity for writing. If I was to place the same value on getting 100k plays on ‘Dinosaur’ by “this date”, it would be an achievement that is completely out of my hands. Then once this goal was achieved… then what? I’d want 200k and it would keep going like that, craving a satisfaction that never arrives.

What do you hate right now?

I hate all the uncertainty for so many people around the world, whether professionally or personally. I hate not knowing when I can play overseas with my band!

What do you love right now?

I love that I can still release music and am very proud of Australia for kicking covid pretty hard! I can’t believe we can play live shows again!

Do you have any plans to perform live in 2021?

Absolutely! I can’t talk about it yet but I have a very special show coming up mid-way through the year.

Is there any new music from 2021 that you’re enjoying?

So much! Locally - Alexander Biggs, Middle Kids, Rat!hammock, Hugh F, Asha Jefferies. Internationally - Rosie Tucker, Sorry, Gengahr, the Jay Som and Palehound collab.

What else can we expect from you in 2021? Any more releases planned?           

You better believe it. This will be my biggest year to date for releasing music. In fact, the release of my favourite song I’ve had the pleasure of recording is just around the corner.

Do you have any final life lessons or tips for our readers?

Be kind to yourself. Your life, the people in it, the way you perceive everything starts with you and how you treat yourself. If you’re still able to work, or be creative or get out of bed and put on clothes at any point during this pandemic, you’re already a strong and resilient human!