New Music: Mermaid Island – He Started It

There’s so much righteous and furious anger on He Started It that you can feel your temperature rise in unison with the lyrics.

When I reviewed Freaks – the previous single from Los Angeles outfit Mermaid Island – I commented on how they avoid much of the nihilism of classic punk while drawing from its visceral and vibrant energies.

That also informs the lyrics and sonic textures of He Started It, as it tears down the veil that obscures the sexism and exploitation that is still present in the music industry. In part a warning to others, but also putting the exploiters on notice that they won’t get away with it, the track highlights much of what punk and subsequently hardcore were reacting against.

Mermaid Island don’t live in the past, though. There’s a lot of Brody Dalle and The Distillers here, Amyl and the Sniffers too, a double-barrel-full of high-octane riffs and drums perfectly in sync with a powerhouse vocal delivery. Yet, with the repetition of the title and the relentless pace of the melody, it becomes a perverse yet pitch-perfect reverse-image of pop-punk.

He Started It, and the trio’s previous single Freaks, are streaming on Spotify and Apple Music. For gig and music updates, catch up with Mermaid Island over on Instagram.