INTERVIEW: Alessandro DeCaro
PHOTOS: George McFadyen
Bursting out of the gritty alternative underground in Glasgow, UK, darkwave outfit Mercy Girl demands your time and attention. Formed in 2024, Mercy Girl released their latest EP Closer late last year and further introduced the dark electronic music scene at large to their distinct moody, ethereal, and pulsating synth-driven sound, with lyrical offerings that channel the intoxicating melancholy of misery while still remaining fun and as infectious as ever.
Mercy Girl, which consists of members Daisy Miles (vocals, electronics), Davey Purdie (electronics, production), Craig Harkness (electronics, production), and Kylie MacNaughton-Wright (electronics, production), are poised for a critical career evolution in 2026. Kicking things off, Mercy Girl will embark on their spring headlining tour across the EU and UK this April, as well as several high-profile appearances at select major UK music festivals this summer, and will begin work on a brand new EP due for release later this year. Now could not be a better time to dive headfirst into the cavernous depths of Mercy Girl’s hauntingly danceable music.
In an exclusive interview with Haus Of Cult, we sat down with Mercy Girl vocalist Daisy Miles to reflect on the band’s origins, their fast ascent within the dark electronic music scene, the latest EP Closer — as well as fashion, films, and so much more.
Can you walk us through the formation of Mercy Girl and how you all came together? Who were some of the most crucial musical influences you had from the very beginning, especially in the more electronic and darkwave world?
Daisy Miles: Craig [Harkness] and Davey [Purdie] had met in college when they were teenagers and later reconnected while playing together in an alt-pop band. They had started to move away from their dream pop/shoegaze-inspired sound and embrace the darker electronic elements in their music, which would later become Mercy Girl. At the time, I was performing solo as a dark-pop artist when they reached out to write together, and Kylie [ MacNaughton-Wright] was fronting an industrial rock duo when she joined the band. We all bonded over our love for darkwave, post-punk, electro pop, techno, and industrial music. There was an unspoken understanding that emotional weight and atmosphere would be central to our music.
Daisy Miles Wearing the Bad Ritual Skirt and Midnight Bond Harness
For someone hearing Mercy Girl for the first time, how would you describe your overall vibe, as well as the first song you would want people to hear?
Daisy Miles: We think “Heaven” captures the essence of the band as a whole. I remember us all listening back at the end of our first session working on it as the moment Mercy Girl was created. It embodies everything that drives us creatively: the intensity, the mood, the weight. The song explores emotional numbness and a kind of quiet despair, themes that run through much of our music. It’s that contrast between euphoria and bleakness that really defines our sound.
Your latest EP Closer dropped in late November last year. What was the process like putting this project together both sonically and lyrically? What do you hope listeners will ultimately take away from this release?
Daisy Miles: Closer was a really immersive process for us. It is the personification of our first year as a band and everything that went into it. We are a completely independent band, so the whole process of creating the music and everything that surrounds it was very personal and authentic. We leaned further into texture, layering synths, and experimenting with tension and release. We wanted it to feel intense and immersive, like stepping into our dark world and getting a little lost. A lot of the lyrical themes revolve around intimacy, yearning, vulnerability, finality, and self-confrontation. If listeners take anything away from it, we hope it’s a sense of understanding; their own introspection reflected back at them.
What song from Closer holds the most significance and meaning to you, and why?
Daisy Miles: “No Sound,” for me, stands apart from our other tracks. The lyrics are sparse and open-ended, but it runs much deeper emotionally. It’s about loving someone who isn’t good for you, and the manipulation and trauma that come with that. The imagery of silence reflects isolation and secrecy, a relationship shaped by control. At its core, it captures the contradiction of feeling most alive when you’re alone with someone who is slowly destroying you; the pull of trauma and dependency wrapped up as love.
In April of this year, you are set to embark on your first EU/UK tour. What are you looking forward to the most about these shows, and is there anything special y’all are planning for these performances?
Daisy Miles: Our live show is how our music is intended to be experienced. I’m looking forward to performing in different rooms, cities, and cultures and how they shape a unique show night by night. We’re planning to make our shows as striking and immersive as possible: stronger visuals, intentional lighting, and a setlist that flows like a story. We want people to step into our world for the time we have them.
With Mercy Girl forming in Glasgow, how has your environment shaped your overall sound and ethos as a band? For those who are not from Glasgow, what is the current state of the music scene like?
Daisy Miles: Glasgow has a thriving music scene, with some of the most iconic venues in the world, such as the Barrowland Ballroom, and world-famous clubs like Sub Club. There is a punk attitude that is carried through all of the music being made here in the underground scenes. Glasgow’s alternative and electronic scenes are world-renowned. With that being said, music blending both like ours is very uncommon, which can be a good and bad thing. We have embraced both.
Who or what is your biggest style/fashion icon or inspiration?
Daisy Miles: I’ve always been drawn to dramatic yet monochrome icons in fashion, like Annie Lennox or Courtney Love. It’s like minimalism and industrial-chic. I’ve always loved combining a sharp, classy look with an industrial goth twist. If I had to explain it, it’s like goth leather meets Matrix office.
Daisy Miles Wearing the Bad Ritual Skirt and Midnight Bond Harness
What is your process like when putting together outfits for your live shows?
Daisy Miles: The first thing I look for in an outfit for a show is how empowered it makes me feel. I want to feel immersed in the music, like I am part of the world we are creating. If I feel confident in my outfit, I feel more comfortable letting people into the more intense and emotional side of myself that I may not portray in everyday life.
Outside of music, what does a typical day in your life look like, and do you have any hobbies or routines that help keep you grounded?
Daisy Miles: I work as a tattoo artist in my everyday job. Tattooing and illustration have been a massive part of my life that allows me to shut my mind down and get lost in art. My style is pretty surreal and weird; a lot of my art involves creating lil’ characters and storylines. It’s really nice to leave the seriousness and intensity behind and be creative in a whimsical way. My most recent project is the ‘Chaos Cat Cult,’ which portrays cute cartoon cats carrying out satanic rituals. It’s an outlet for me to have fun and not take my art too seriously.
Daisy Miles Wearing the Bad Ritual Skirt and Midnight Bond Harness
If Mercy Girl's music could be the soundtrack to any film or TV show, what would it be and why?
Daisy Miles: Mercy Girl would be the perfect soundtrack to The Hunger (1983). The themes of our music line up perfectly with the film's themes of love, seduction, control, and domination. I would love to witness Susan Sarandon's spiral set to one of our tracks. Some other favourites that I think would fit perfectly would be Strange Days, David Cronenberg's Crash, and of course, Blade Runner.
Looking ahead, what is next for Mercy Girl in terms of more music, shows, or anything else people should be on the lookout for?
Daisy Miles: When we come back from our tour, our main focus will be on finishing the songs that will feature on our next EP. It feels like we are closing the first chapter of our band and stepping into the unknown. A big landmark goal for us in the future is to tour the US and Latin America. It feels daunting just now, but we will get there one day. In the near future, we will be playing our first major UK festivals this summer, and we are absolutely buzzing to play for bigger audiences. Nothing we can announce yet, though, so keep an eye out for that!
CATCH MERCY GIRL ON TOUR IN THE EU/UK THIS APRIL. TICKETS ON SALE HERE
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