This was one of my favorite discoveries in my inbox last week and a track that I couldn’t wait to share here. Seriously, it’s so so good. The track is Dinosaur from Merpire, AKA emerging Melbour-based indie-pop artist Rhiannon Atkinson-Howatt. Somehow, this is my first introduction to Merpire but I am very quickly falling in love via this track, and especially with the creativity at play in the video. Originally written on a ukulele, the track’s themes of social anxiety and self-esteem (and lack of it) are reflected in the darker rearrangement of the track helped along by producer James Seymour. The build up and slight musical cacophony reflecting the overspill of emotion when you’ve been keeping those anxieties at bay.
The music video for the track was filmed under a trampoline in Merpire’s front yard. (Seriously!) And it’s brilliant. Bringing in the decor of her early 2000s teen bedroom and all of the props that come with that… right down to the gel stickers, it’s a nostalgic ride, that’s for sure. Merpire conceptualised the idea herself like a movie script and it was brought to life by long-time collaborator Nick Mckk, with additional set design by Grace Goodwin.
Talking about the track, she shares that “‘Dinosaur’ is inspired by a line in the first Jurassic Park movie when Sam Neill’s character says “If you stay still, they’ can’t see you.” Whether it’s a fact about the T-Rex or not, I always wished this could be the case with humans – if you don’t feel like seeing anyone or you want to smoke bomb from a social interaction you can just freeze and become invisible. Oh no, it’s just the opposite.”