UK visual artists and musicians Freya Tate and Moina Moin formed Mermaid Chunky back in 2016 as a way to express their many interests (music, performance art, fashion) and quickly became fixtures of the very arty Stroud scene.
You might not be surprised that the music Mermaid Chunky make his hard to categorize — their 2020 debut album VEST incorporates mossy British folk, hip hop, free jazz, various strains of dance music and anything else that suits their fancy. Live shows often involve many collaborators and elaborate costumes, as does their music videos. Fans of everything from Cate Le Bon and Let’s Eat Grandma to Snapped Ankles or Ultramarine, or those who have a soft spot for oddballs, might find something to like in their music.
Mermaid Chunky have signed to DFA worldwide and just released their first single for the label. Named after a traditional Scottish or Irish social gathering and dance, “Céilí” is a slowly building jam involving recorders, chanting and tribal rhythms that really blooms as it goes along. The band directed the video which you can watch below.