There’s something quite animalistic about Merpire’s music – the moniker of Naarm/Melbourne-based Rhiannon Atkinson-Howatt – whose huge, gritty voice, whimsical turn-of-phrase and inimitable chord choices seem impossible to tame, were it not for a sobering honesty that could heal even the most stoic crowd.

Merpire’s songs aren’t just effortless, catchy dark-pop anthems deserving of a home in the 90s Garbage or Caroline Polachek canon – soaring through every track is a subtext profound enough to stop you in your tracks, like the whistle only a dog can hear. Merpire has spent the last few years since her debut Simulation Ride (ADA Records) reclaiming her body, her joy and her obsession with golden retrievers. With the help of true community and time to herself to explore the multi-instrumentalist that she is, Merpire is ready to share what she’s found with others who could use the physical release.

Enter: Merpire’s second teenagehood, MILK POOL.

Written in the confines of an old house and relationship, and recorded as the walls gave way, the artist’s sophomore record is something of a premonition. Pre-empting her own unfurling, Atkinson-Howatt wrote of fantasy, fluidity and fluids themselves (the kind that come from being your truest animal self, lust and loss and all) – before she’d even entered her era of play. Now, MILK POOL embodies Merpire’s dogged commitment to having fun, a true departure from the Heavy Feeling that got her here. Of course, the best kind of play has the ability to surprise you – and MILK POOL has surprises in spades, from clever chords out of nowhere (as all good, obsessive crushes do), to explosive lyrics that will stop you in your tracks.

Intentionally fluid and indeterminate of age, MILK POOL holds a deep and pure romanticism for places and people and how that changes with time. It boasts contributions from producers James Seymour, James Dring (Sorry, Soccer Mommy), Elizabeth M. Drummond and was mixed by Ali Chant (PJ Harvey, Aldous Harding, Perfume Genius). Their key involvement in helping to bring to life Merpire’s vision has left us all with the gift she intended on giving – an undeniable second record.

Release: July 4th, 2025, Independent