Following the release of her excellent debut album Simulation Ride, we got to know Melbourne-based Merpire a little better.
Melbourne-based artist Rhiannon-Atkinson-Howatt, better known as Merpire has been building a following and garnering acclaim since the release of her independent 2018 debut EP Endless Chatter. Since then the artist has continued to develop her sound and continue to blossom and grow as an artist.
Fast-forward to 2021 and with a global pandemic (hopefully) subsiding and a few more indie pop bangers under her belt, Merpire is back in the form of her debut full length Simulation Ride, the most focused and fully formed realisation of Merpire’s qualities to date. At this exciting juncture for the artist, we had a chat with Merpire to find out some more about the album and the complex and interesting road that she has taken to get to where she is now.
Who TF is Merpire?
Haha who indeed! It’s me, Merpire! Also known as Rhiannon. I created Merpire for the purpose of expressing art that I didn’t think “Rhiannon” was capable of expressing. It began as a safety net, a costume I could wear so if people disapproved, I could say it wasn’t me, it was simply an idea that had failed, something separate to me.
Over the past few years I’ve been integrating my off-stage self with Merpire as I’ve grown more confident in the music, production and visuals I’m making and also, just as I’m getting older and giving less of an F about what other people think – you can’t please everyone after all, and nor should you. It also has a lot to do with the incredible community of fellow artists I surround myself with here where I reside in Melbourne, Australia.
Merpire is my self-soothing and outlet for all the movie scenes I create in my head that need music and visuals to go with them.
How long have you been making music?
I started writing music in high school in the gym change rooms during lunch. The reverb was great there. It wasn’t something I wanted to do constantly as I was distracted a lot by friends, boys, sports etc but it definitely sparked something in me. For the past few years though it’s been my whole life. As I mentioned above, for me it’s become a more realistic way of living since finding this community in Melbourne. I moved here just over 3 years ago. Now I’m living in a way I never dreamed would be possible. It’s nice to remind myself of that. Making and sharing music and art and supporting others doing the same.
I started producing music with this album. James Seymour, the incredible human who is my producer, really encouraged me to speak up about my production ideas. This was something I’d never really done before. The more I spoke up, the more I dreamed up and now when I write the music, lyrics and chords on guitar, I’m thinking of production ideas in my head as I go.
Why do you make music?
It might sound cliche, and I guess that’s because it’s such a commonly shared feeling- I can’t not. It’s just there to come out. It’s sometimes the only vessel I have to work through something difficult, as a way of saying something I can’t express enough in plain conversation or a way to share an observation. I love, love, love to daydream and making music is this new dreamy reality I get to make for myself first and foremost. The first sign of songwriting is from a video of my 2yr old self making up a song about sitting in a car – “I am sitting in a car, a car, a caaaar!” Straight to the point.
Secondary to it being a therapeutic release for me, I make music to help others too. I’ll never forget the first few times people started sharing with me what my music meant to them and how it helped them through something. That still blows my mind! What an incredible thing!
What are your biggest influences?
I like that the question is “what” because it isn’t always a “who”! My biggest influences amongst this already influential journey of life I’m on would have to be my experience with anxiety in general as well as social anxiety. It’s all throughout my album. Also, the relationships I’ve had and continue to have with people, romantic or otherwise. When I learn something pivotal or important, I’m inspired to write about it. Also, other people’s music, movies and books and the way in which music and the way you use and don’t use words can express more than a spoken sentence sometimes. Movies especially and the soundtracks that go with influence the feelings I hope to evoke with the melody choices and production James and I dream up for the songs. Some of my favourite movies for that – Donnie Darko, The Perks Of Being A Wallflower, The Graduate.
What would you say has been your best moment so far?
Releasing this album for sure! I had so many mixed feelings leading up to its release. Friends who have released albums have felt very similarly. Sometimes there was this deep, calm but relieving sadness. The first scenarios I thought of where I thought a similar feeling might be present was like if I was booked in for surgery to donate a body part or like a first-born being sent off to their first day of school. It’s a sense that a part of me no longer needs me to function in the world and will in fact blossom once I let it go. Then the day I released the album I had a wash of calm happiness come over me. I’m really trying to sit with this achievement and remember it’s a big thing that I can be proud of.
How would you describe your sound to somebody unfamiliar with it?
Hmmm… something that I hear again and again from listeners is that my music sounds nostalgic. It’s sadly hopeful. Production wise I would say it’s a mix of pop sensibilities, with distorted dreamyness, lush and emotional with quirky sounds and chord changes. Not everyone’s cup of tea but a cup of tea nonetheless.
What’s your dream “I’ve made it” moment?
To be honest, I’ve learnt over the past couple of years that there’s no such thing. As humans we’re conditioned to want more and better so quite often one dream moment once achieved, is quickly replaced with the next. When that dream moment is out of your control too, it can be a dangerous thing to strive for. On top of that, one person’s “making it” is another person’s “I’ve failed” depending on how they define success and where they’re at in their career so there’s no point comparing or competing either. 5 years ago, being played on the radio was probably my dream “I’ve made it moment”. The last couple of years though, especially with the pandemic almost forcing me to think about what success really means to me, I try to focus on all the dream moments I’m having all the time – getting to continue making music as a career, making it with people, releasing it, talking about it with wonderful and interested publications like this one, people hearing it, sharing it, buying it. All of that is amazing and hard to obtain, so I’ve made it!
We love your debut album Simulation Ride, could you tell us some more about it?
Thank you, it honestly loves you too 🙂
It’s like an introduction to the video store in my mind. It’s my experiences with anxiety made into a movie soundtrack as an entertaining way to share in the isolating feeling that is anxiety. It’s also about relationships with friends, past boyfriends, my current boyfriend. I write about a panic attack – ‘Sink In’, about a job I had as a tour guide punting people around a lake in the botanic gardens of Melbourne and the idea of it taking a village to nurture a relationship – ‘Village’. In the closing track, ‘Yusiimi’ or “you-see-me” I’m describing my ultimate self, and the way people say they see me. It’s many things I’ve learnt personally and musically wrapped up into 35min. Pretty crazy when you think about it like that.
What plans do you have for the near future?
Pending the state of Victoria, the state in which I live, I’m putting on a big ol’ album launch at one of my favourite venues in Melbourne, Howler. It’s a 5min drive from my house and closest friends’ houses too – added bonus.We just came out of our 5th lockdown and we could go back in for a 6th very quickly, so until I’m on that stage with my beautiful band, I’m just planning the best show ever because I never know when I’ll get to play another one.
For the same reason, the show will be professionally filmed, live sound mastered and re-released on bandcamp as an online album launch a couple of weeks later – This will be late September. As a part of the online launch, I’m hosting an inclusive and accessible online q+a event that will start once the shoe finishes, called ‘After (the) Party’ where I’ll be chatting to a mental health facilitator about mental health and tips of how to manage it as an aspiring artist in the cluster-f that is our industry now. I can’t imagine how daunting it would be for artists starting out now let alone how daunting it usually is so I’m hoping this will help some people in some way.
And finally, who is your biggest fan right now?
Ha! I love this question! Man, I don’t know! Maybe Amy from Prescription PR who organised this interview. She has gone above and beyond for Merpire and it makes me so happy to get to chat about my album so much! On that note, thank YOU so much for having me.
