Six months on from the release of their Gone Fishing EP, Perth sextet Mal de Mer have returned with their latest single, sharing the slick “Do You See Me?” today.
Officially out today, “Do You See Me?” sees Mal de Mer offering up a powerful showcase of their influences, with hazy synths, funky basslines, and impressive guitarwork combining to back the distinctively gorgeous voice of vocalist Saskia Fleming. Despite its positive exterior, Fleming notes that the inspiration for the track was far less uplifting than it seemed, with its lyrics focused on the reclaiming of personal power that occurs when a toxic relationship ends.
“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 that were meant to be there all along. It was like everything just clicked into place.”
The song also comes paired with a quaint film clip which sees an almost child-like visual representation of the track, with lyrics shared onscreen via mismatched letter beads.
“It’s a stop motion lyric video using beads, pastel felts, and glitter (among many other things!!),” Fleming explains of the inspiration behind 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.
“When I was given the necklace, it at first sparked the idea of doing a very limited run of merch in the form of jewellery for this track. 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.”
With both the single and the video serving as endearing representations of the powerhouse of talent that is Mal de Mer, it leaves fans wondering just what’s next for the WA six-piece. Of course, if “Do You See Me?” is any indication, you can tell it’s going to be another massive step for the group.
Mal de Mer’s “Do You See Me?” is officially out today.
