Mermaidens reveal a cyberpunk dreamscape in the new video for their single ‘Bastards’. Watch the official video here, directed by Ryan Fielding, a New Zealand born director currently based in London.
Starring actor and dancer Micah Barnes, the video follows her through a futuristic London cityscape, where she is pursued by bizarre flesh-eating humans. “I originally pitched the band - ‘A textural neon-soaked fever dream’”, says director Ryan Fielding, “I was excited to tap into the mood of the song and the interweaving melodies, experimenting with dualities in terms of characters, tone, and textures.” Shot entirely on 16mm film using an old soviet camera, Ryan drew inspiration from 1970s Eastern European movie posters to bring the grainy analogue film to life with glitchy animations.
The song confronts and dissects the themes of love, attraction and intimacy, with Mermaidens' neo-psychedelic sound setting the tone. The voices of both front-women, Lily West and Gussie Larkin shape the track with equal footing, pushing the video into its climax with a final call-and-response chorus. “I wanted to create something contemplative led by this strange and dominant bass part,” says Lily, adding that the song acknowledges “The difficulty and sometimes suffocating nature of being in love. Acknowledging that your love is just as complex an individual as you are is the most rewarding thing.”
