Ahead of Mercuri’s debut album Long Play, set to be released early next year, ‘Vintage Blue’ establishes the sophisticated production and unique vocal style that has lended Mercuri multiple eclectic collaborations, productions and film scores, resulting in a career spanning the last fifteen years, working with both UMPG and Island Music.

‘Vintage Blue’ employs a modest peppering of flute (courtesy of Harmony Byrne), and darker cello tones (thanks to Lucy Waldron), to craft a melodic build up that lulls the listener, hairs on end, into a sense of community. Combining the instrumental arrangement with a gradually ascending choir proclaiming “higher loving”, the track further solidifies its philosophical mood - an apt tune to soundtrack the anxious departure of one’s house to rejoice in the arms of a friends and family once more.

These Wild Eyes, the production team behind ‘Vintage Blue’s clip, have taken the song’s blue motif and swung in a heartfelt direction starring one of Melbourne’s most upcoming drag artists, Sam T. A romantic and at times melancholic vignette into a day in the life of the queen, painting the meaning of the lyrics in the eyes of the beholder. Sam T is beautiful and somewhat isolated in the landscape, not unhappy, pirouetting about the beach in her most stunning garb.

We sat down with Emilio to chat about the debut single, the trials of remote collaboration and what’s to come in the ‘new normal’…

TJ: What can we expect from the upcoming album? Will we hear the same musical influences as your last release, House Of The Holy Maids?

EM: I like to embrace the fact that my sound is evolving, but in short, yes. I have built off the parts of my older sound that I enjoy and added new textures and different instrumentation to my current material. I'm using a lot of the skills I have learned throughout making music for film, trying to embrace the at times subaudible atmosphere of a song to give it weight and texture. I have found myself really diving into composition and production a lot more, narrowing in on whatever the song deserves and not rushing to force things into a template.

What has changed? Has the pandemic changed the general mood of your songwriting and composition at all?

I have changed. Each song has a life of its own but I'd be lying to myself if I said my mood was unaffected by the current state of the world. I genuinely feel as though people are either completely fucking angry or in desperate need of merely feeling something again. I wanted to try and bring myself out of the fugue state I think many of us have fallen into over the last few years, and do so through music. 

In terms of recording and accessibility, let’s talk about the challenge of collaborating with people in lockdown - was it a difficult concept to navigate?

It was and continues to be challenging but I have embraced it. All of this is temporary and the one thing that isn't lost on me, is that artists genuinely want to make great things together, expand each other's minds and just continue to express themselves through whatever means possible. Collaborating remotely is difficult, but we do it because we need to. This pandemic has really brought the cream to the top, and sadly a lot of great artists have been left without many avenues, if any, to continue to keep their heads above the water. The one thing I know to be unquestionably true, is that we are all looking out for each other. 

How did the music video concept story come about? It’s an interesting window into Sam T stepping into Drag.

This illuminates my previous sentiments in that we are all looking out for one another. A good friend of mine at the production company These Wild Eyes had some time up his sleeve and wanted to collaborate with me for ‘Vintage Blue’. Thankfully Sam was already in the process of making some things and gracefully starred in the clip for me. I think Sam's beautiful and I couldn't have imagined anyone else being the star of the clip. 

In terms of live music slowly opening back up, where and when can we see the album being toured? 

I have been preparing a band for a while now and we can't wait to get the show on the road. I will be doing acoustic shows around Australia whilst I continue recording into the new year. The sooner everything opens, the better. Too many people behind the scenes have been forgotten and my heart does bleed for them. Wherever and whenever I can play, and bring some people into some venues, I'll endeavour to do so. Not only for me but for all the live venues, security, hospo staff, bookers and alike.