Today also sees the release of brand new single and video Deep Dive. The fourth single to be taken from upcoming album Infinite Youth. Deep Dive is a bright and breezy pop skewed tune that arrives with a chaotic pancake-themed video. Once again directed by local video production legends Sports Team, the idea for the video was cooked up after an idea was mentioned in passing …of the video Merk says:

“Sometimes I DJ at weddings under the name DJ Ragu and wear a chef’s hat to help bring a good vibe. I think I made an offhand reference to this weird character I perform under to Sports Team when we were hanging out once, which they must’ve remembered because when I asked them to make a video with me for Deep Dive this is the concept they came back with: A rooftop pancake party where I’m performing like a DJ but instead of flipping records, I’m flipping cakes, baby. So, we invited a bunch of people over to my house in Auckland, went up to the rooftop and chaos ensued!”

Watch the video for Deep Dive here

Deep Dive sees Merk setting the scene with a disco tinged beat, driving the song along as the delicate play of Juno Synth and guitar lay the groundwork for his own kind of syrupy sweet pop. A master at creating tracks that feel minimal and sparse imbibed with hidden gems, giving head spinning depth that you’ll catch on repeat listens. Merk weaves in everything from the play of strings to voice memos of the St Paul’s Cathedral organist. Taking in global influences and highlighting the textured and at times complex methods of writing, and recording, Merk gives us an insight as to how Deep Dive came together below:

“A portion of this song came to me in a dream one night, I woke up and went to the piano and recorded the demo. For that reason, it feels very surreal and separate to me. It’s one of the more pop moments on the album, a song that carries you the whole way through without changing too much. It reminds me a lot of our 80s Japanese city pop references as well as a New York New-Wave sound.

We started this in Copenhagen by chopping up a breakbeat sample to give this heavy groove and messed around with the guitar and Juno synth until they had this nice minimalist interplay with each other, almost becoming one instrument. When we recorded drums with Alex, we played him the song and told him to do whatever he felt. He laid down this really nice disco groove over the breakbeat that gave the song a lot of energy. To add a sense of depth I buried in the mix a voice memo recording I made while on tour in London when visiting St Paul’s Cathedral of an organist playing while tourist walked around. My favourite part of this song is the beautiful cello of Danish musician Nicole Hogstrand. In particular her pizzicato doubling the guitar lead in the instrumental.”

Infinite Youth features recent singles H.N.Y.B, GOD and Laps Around The Sun. With spins on BBC Radio 6, coverage on Clash plus a Day In The Life feature on SPIN , Merk is fast becoming a national indie treasure.

In lieu of an in-person event due to Covid-19, Merk will also be playing SXSW Digital this Sunday 21 March at 1pm. Filmed with full band at Auckland’s Whammy bar, you can register to watch at online.sxsw.com.

A full 11 tracks, Infinite Youth examines the blurry line between adolescence and adulthood, and all the clarity and mess that comes with it. This is a record that thrives on a certain simplicity of rhythm, melody, and lyric, and is compelled by contrast: pop songs influenced by art music, an album about adulthood that reflects heavily on what it is to be young, and a sonic world that is both expansive and deeply intimate.

Deep Dive available across platforms here.

MERK
NEW ZEALAND
MAY 2021
Presented by 100% Good, 95bFM + Under The Radar

GENERAL PUBLIC ON SALE
Begins: Monday 22 March (9am local time)

Saturday 1 May
Jam Factory | Tauranga, NZ
merkscoolsongs.com/tour

Saturday 15 May
Cassette No. 9 | Auckland, NZ
18+
merkscoolsongs.com/tour

Thursday 20 May
Meow | Wellington, NZ
18+
merkscoolsongs.com/tour

Saturday 22 May
Loons Theatre | Christchurch, NZ
18+
merkscoolsongs.com/tour

Sunday 23 May
Dive | Dunedin, NZ
18+
merkscoolsongs.com/tour

INFINITE YOUTH – OUT FRIDAY 9 APRIL 2021 THROUGH HUMBLEBRAG RECORDS.
Distributed through Border Music (NZ) + made with the support of NZ On Air

PRE-ORDER INFINITE YOUTH HERE

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Photo Credit: Lily Paris West