Funky six-piece Mal de Mer just released their excellent new single, ‘Do You See Me?’, a song that delicately combines serious songwriting with an irresistibly upbeat rhythm.
Under a groovy bass line and infectious synths, ‘Do You See Me?’ details the dramatic but important reclamation of personal power that happens when a toxic relationship ends. Lead vocalist Saskia Fleming’s distinctive voice is hardened and confident
“The song came about when I was in a pretty dark headspace,” Fleming explained. “At the time, I was trapped in an exhausting combination of deep sadness, and overwhelming anger. I’ll let the lyrics speak for themselves, but I hope the listener can feel those emotions wash over them as they flow through the song.
When I finally plucked up the courage to show the band what I’d written I was blown away – everybody’s parts felt like essential pieces of the song meant to be there all along. It was like everything just clicked into place.”
The Perth indie funk outfit also dropped a visually stunning music video to accompany the song, made in collaboration with photographer Mare Elzinga. It’s a playfully childlike celebration of the dramatic story of the song as the lyrics are built from little letter beads, all mismatched and topsy-turvy.
“It’s a stop motion lyric video using beads, pastel felts, and glitter (among many other things!!),” Fleming said about the video. “My housemate Freddie came home one day from Spotlight with a load of colourful beads, and made me a necklace with a lyric from this single on it.
That idea then snowballed into doing an entire stop motion lyric video using those beads. The concept is using colourful childlike craft supplies to create a clip that at first seems upbeat, and straightforward, but over the course of the track, gradually begins to reveal it to be a facade hiding the dark reality of what is going on beneath the surface. I worked on the concept with the amazing director Mare Elzinga, who took my basic idea and has brought it to life.”
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‘Do You See Me?’ is out now.
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Check out ‘Do You See Me?’ by Mal de Mer:
