Native Tongue Music Publishing has today announced the signing of Mark Perkins (pka Merk), coinciding with the news of his second album Infinite Youth.
Merk is the musical moniker of Auckland, New Zealand artist, multi-instrumentalist, screen composer and producer, Mark Perkins, who began his career as a touring member of Tom Lark and Fazerdaze before releasing his debut album Swordfish in 2017. Swordfish went on to win Best Debut Album at the Taite Music Prize (New Zealand’s equivalent of the Mercury or Polaris Prize), and led to tours with Cub Sport, Marlon Williams and Julia Jacklin in Australia and NZ, as well as signing to Australian-based management company Heartstop Music, which is home to Marlon Williams, Julia Jacklin and The Weather Station. Mark has also recently worked with Williams, composing the score for feature film Juniper.
Mark Perkins said of the signing: “After having been adjacent to Native Tongue for many years playing in other bands who worked with them, it feels really great to officially be adopted into the family. I’ve known the team for a long time and so working together feels like a very snug, natural fit. I’m looking forward to seeing what we get done!”
“Having known Mark for many years, it’s a pleasure to be working together in an official capacity. We look forward to helping Mark achieve great heights as a songwriter, producer, artist and screen composer,” added Native Tongue’s Managing Director Jaime Gough.
On Infinite Youth, Merk examines the blurry line between adolescence and adulthood, and all the clarity and mess that accompanies that blurring. 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.
Infinite Youth is out April 9th 2021 via Humblebrag Records/AWAL, pre-order here. New single ‘Laps Around The Sun’ is out now – watch the video or stream here.