Mermaid Chunky is a duo from England made up of artists Freya Tate and Moina Moin. And the artists thing goes beyond just composing music, as they also dedicate themselves to fashion design, of course they design their own clothes, which can be as extravagant as you see in the image, or more; and they are also known for carrying out large contemporary art events. Of course, they have a contemporary art part.
Don’t expect pop formulas in Mermaid Chunky’s music: her compositions can stretch to 9 minutes and fly free, unravelling slowly but surely, and combining an explosive and colourful mix of prog-folk, trance and electro inspired by “folklore and contemporary kitsch ceremonies”. In ‘Friends’ a feast of video game-like synthesizers and flutes is rounded off with an unexpected saxophone solo.
‘Friends’, released on Mermaid Chunky’s 2020 self-titled EP, changed the band’s trajectory when, as fate would have it, LCD Soundsystem frontman James Murphy discovered them while waiting for a coffee at a café near his office, and was enchanted by their blend of sounds. Murphy searched for ‘Friends’ on Shazam and immediately decided to sign Mermaid Chunky to his label, DFA Records.
Mermaid Chunky’s productions sometimes offer a sense of electronica very similar to LCD Soundsystem’s dirty New York parties. However, as in ‘Frogsporn’, they combine it with a “serene” cottagecore aesthetic that is very present in their compositions and videos. The concept of pagan partying definitely influences their hit ‘Chaperone’ although synthesizers also make their way through, always sounding strange and murky.
‘Céilí’, her most popular song, and today’s Song Of The Day, is another of her wonderful conjurations, halfway between ‘Midsommar’ and a Björk on psychedelics. An “improvised chaos” illuminated by heavenly choirs and flutes that goes from calm to ecstasy, without rushing. You probably didn’t expect that the people who have organised the “largest dog wedding in the south-east of England”, according to their press release, would make such splendid music. Or maybe you did.
