The Mermaidens are an indie rock band from Wellington, New Zealand. The band are made up of trio Abe Hollingsworth, Gussie Larkin, and Lily West.

Having met in high school, Larkin and West released an acoustic demo in 2013, before being joined by Hollingsworth. The band released a further two demos in 2014 – Bones and O – before releasing their debut album, Undergrowth, in 2016.

The band signed with Flying Nun Records for their next two albums; 2017's Perfect Body and 2019's Look Me in the Eye. Following Look Me in the Eye, the band parted with Flying Nun due to minor "frustrations with communication and not having a clear picture of finances."

In 2020, Larkin had planned to move to Berlin, but was forced to remain in New Zealand due to COVID-19 lockdowns. Stuck in their homes, the band took the opportunity to write new music. Once reunited, the band initially planned to just release a new single, "Soft Energy", and then an EP, then two EPs, before eventually deciding to record an entire album. Produced by The Phoenix Foundation's Samuel Flynn Scott, they independently released their self-titled fourth album, Mermaidens, in 2023.

Discography Albums and EPs

+TitleReleasePeakchartpositionDetailsNZ Top 40Aotearoa Top 20 Demo (EP)2013—— Label: IndependentBones (EP)2014—— Label: IndependentO (EP)2014—— Label: IndependentUndergrowth2016—— Label: IndependentPerfect Body 2017287 Label: Flying Nun RecordsLook Me In The Eye2019235 Label: Flying Nun RecordsMermaidens202381 Label: Independent"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Singles

Awards and nominations +YearAwardWork(s) nominatedCategoryResult2018Taite Music PrizePerfect BodyTaite Music Prize2020Aotearoa Music AwardsLook Me In The EyeBest Alternative ArtistTaite Music PrizeLook Me In The EyeTaite Music Prize2024Aotearoa Music Awards"I like to be alone"Single of the YearMermaidensBest GroupBest Alternative ArtistPeople's Choice Award2024 Taite Music PrizeMermaidensTaite Music Prize

References

External links

Mermaidens official site, maintained by the band