It’s been two years since the release of Plastic Mermaids’ critically acclaimed debut ‘Suddenly Everyone Explodes’ and now the Isle of Wight 5-piece return with a much-needed defiant swing against overwhelming personal negativity. The new single ‘Disco Wings’ arrives accompanied by an appropriately cathartic video.
Like many, songwriter/front-person Douglas Richards was really struggling with his position in life towards the end of 2019, “I felt awkward, sick and really out of place”, he explains. “‘Disco Wings’ came out one evening when I was sat alone in my lounge. I was playing my crap little nylon string, called the ‘Flager Meister’, momentarily feeling like I had the energy to stand up to those negative oppressive thoughts.” Douglas spent the next few months with the band, messing with synths and vocoders and finishing the lyrics “but always hopefully holding onto that initial sentiment.”
‘Disco Wings’ sees the band justifying the hype of their debut album, which drew comparisons with the likes of LCD Soundsystem and Animal Collective at the time. The new material has been self-produced once again, however, technical wizard and multi-instrumentalist Jamie Richards was stretched for mixing time, building his Neon Egg pedals for the likes of Bon Iver, Kurt Vile & Hot Chip. The brothers decided to look beyond the band and recruited Ant Whiting (MIA, Lana De Ray) for a fresh take at the mix:
“Through a bizarre set of circumstances Jamie and I went for a pint with Ant on the Island when he was on holiday here a few years back and we kept in touch over social media. This record came around and when we decided to get it mixed by someone outside of the band, Ant came to mind. Kinda curious to see where it would end up… It was a good move, Ant’s mixes really elevated the tracks and brought a level of energy and immediacy that we’ve not achieved on record before.”
In line with the release, Plastic Mermaids also announce a new tour of the UK, kicking off in October and taking in London’s Lafayette on 28th October.
