“The Isle of Wight band fashion chamber-pop majesty that sounds somehow effortless and preordained.”– Sunday Times Culture
“Some of the most creatively deployed panning heard all year. Cinematic and gorgeously textural, this cut sounds like Mercury Rev going on a road trip with The Flaming Lips.” – Q Magazine
“Plastic Mermaids win me over from the start…the tones are all just right – there’s something very classic about this.”– The Fader
“Plastic Mermaids combine the sounds of alt-folk, space-rock and chamber pop in a piano-led fantasy that The Flaming Lips would be proud of “ – NME
“Clad in tinsel capes and firing off sparklers and party poppers in place of pyro, they’re a captivating live act with a knack for a big beat and funky bassline.”– Dork
It’s been two years since the Isle of Wight’s Plastic Mermaids have released a new record and now the five-piece band are back with a new psychedelia-infused, indie-pop single ‘1996’ with an amusingly genius & heart-warming video to accompany the release, which was entirely conceptualised, directed and produced by the band.
Plastic Mermaids are a five-piece band featuring brothers Jamie and Douglas Richards, who collaborate on vocals, synths and samples, along with guitarist Chris Newnham, bassist Tom Farren and drummer Chris Jones. Their video for new single ‘1996’ is about a quiet recluse who is obsessed with technology and one day on his way to work sees a robot on a train and falls in love with it, which eventually leads to his death. Expect to see shots of iPhones being toasted and buttered and probably the first ever robot-on-man sex scene ever!
“Making the video was kind of fun but more often hilariously awkward, all of the shots where we were out in public were pretty hard work and we got a LOAD of dodgy looks. Also the robot was pretty uncomfortable to wear, and SUPER warm. There’s probably a bit of deeper meaning maybe to do with how we live in modern life but i’d like to remain kind of vague on that and let people make up their own minds. “
Plastic Mermaids released debut EP ‘Dromtorp’ in March 2014 to widespread critical acclaim, following up with the ‘Inhale The Universe’ EP in March 2015 and third EP ‘Everything Is Yellow and Yellow Is My Least Favourite Colour’ in June 2016. Later that same year, in November, they holed up in their barn-turned-studio to start work on their first full album but only after building their own analogue studio,
In terms of musical influences, fans of The Flaming Lips, Arcade Fire, Sparklehorse and Tame Impala will all find something to love in Plastic Mermaids’ richly-textured sound. The Flaming Lips influence is also evident in their ecstatic live show which has manifested itself into the sparkly-gold-cape-clad choir that has recently been accompanying Plastic Mermaids on tour and a mannequin covered in mirror ball tiles who is often suspended above their stage set. “We’ve done gigs before where we’ve spent the entire gig fee on as much confetti as we could afford,” says Jamie. “And we’ve spent all our money on lasers more times than I can remember.”
No surprise, then, that it turned out Flaming Lips front man Wayne Coyne was spotted enjoying the Plastic Mermaids’ own set at Blue Dot. Jamie is now working on a customised effects pedal for Coyne.
Plastic Mermaids have previously sold-out every hometown show on the Isle Of Wight, which included their self-promoted 700 people across 2 nights in a boat shed, simply because there wasn’t any venues big enough for them on the island.
The band will soon be bringing their glorious live set to the UK. Live dates to be announced shortly.
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