MERPIRE Shares new indie-pop single ‘Dinosaur’
Lyrically, ‘Dinosaur’ is about social anxiety and at times, a lack of self-esteem. It was originally written on a ukulele after playing around with Toro Y Moi, and Unknown Mortal Orchestra songs, but became a dark rearrangement with the help of producer, James Seymour. The tension within the song is a perfect representation of how it feels to be uncomfortable in a room and how those feelings can spill out when held onto for too long.
On the track, Merpire notes “‘Dinosaur’ is inspired by a line in the first Jurassic Park movie when Sam Neil’s character says “If you stay still, they can’t see you.” Whether it’s a fact about the T-Rex or not, I always wished this could be the case with humans - if you don’t feel like seeing anyone or you want to smoke bomb from a social interaction you can just freeze and become invisible. Oh no, it’s just the opposite“.
The track is also paired with an official music video, filmed entirely under the trampoline in Merpire’s front yard, and plays off the decor of her early 2000s, teen bedroom - discmans, heart throb ridden magazines and gel stickers. Like the video clips for her previous singles ‘Habit’ and ‘Heavy Feeling’, Merpire conceptualised the idea like a movie script, using imagery and colour to evoke certain emotions. The concept was once again brought to life by long-time collaborator, Nick Mckk, with additional set design by Grace Goodwin.
Merpire first burst onto the scene back in August 2018 when she signed to indie management company Fright Night Music and showcased at Bigsound, each step garnering an incremental following of avid fans in her wake. By the end of the year, Merpire had sold out her biggest headline show to date and had supported some huge Australian acts including Julia Jacklin, Angie McMahon, Didirri and Olympia.
Otherwise known as Rhiannon Atkinson-Howatt, her impressive and predominantly female live line-up, continue to captivate audiences far and wide with powerful, versatile performances that are an emotional roller coaster to behold. Stay tuned for more to come from Merpire.
