New Zealand
Album Review: The Bats’ Robert Scott and Dallas Henley release low-fi home recorded delight ‘Level 4’
As the main songwriter for the wonderful The Bats, Robert Scott needs no introduction (read my recent interview with him). Scott has partnered with Dallas Henley, Scott’s co-owner of an Art Gallery – Pea Sea Art – in Port Chalmers Dunedin, to release a very low-fi and extremely intimate collection of absolutely gorgeous songs. Both …
News: Crowded House announces new album ‘Dreamers are Waiting’ and release exciting new track.
In very exciting news, New Zealand legends Crowded House have made a surprise announcement of a new album called ‘Dreamers are Waiting’. This is their first studio album in more than a decade. This follows the release of the single ‘To The Island’ with its gorgeously shot video infected with the typical humorous style associated …
Premiere: Damien Binder’s new single ‘Here It Is’ is a shining beacon of soul-stirring, anthemic indie pop.
We are honoured to premiere the new single ‘Here It Is’ from New Zealand-born Western Australian resident Damien Binder which is out on Friday, 5 February 2021. Binder began his musical life in nineties NZ band Second Child before moving west to Australia – Perth to be precise – and releasing, to date, four solo …
Track: The Chills brighten our solar system with new track ‘Monolith’ and announcement of a new album
The sun shines that little brighter and warmer this morning – even here at the southern edge of the world – with news of a new album from New Zealand legends The Chills. Due out on 14 May 2021, ‘Scatterbrain’ is the band’s seventh studio album and will be highly anticipated by those enamoured of …
Track: New Zealand’s Pale Lady release the bright and bouncy track ‘Lost and Found’
Just as New Zealand is the first major land mass to hit 2021, it is fitting that Wellington’s Pale Lady is the first review for 2021 from me. ‘Lost And Found’ is an effervescent start: a bright and bouncy pop track with slightly metal guitar riffs and sky-high catchy melodies. It’s classic indie fare – …
Backseat Downunder: Favourite Releases from Australia/New Zealand in 2020
Last week Backseat Mafia released its Top Fifty Albums of 2020 – a incredibly rich and diverse list of albums from across a wide range of writers with different tastes and a huge spread of genres; a magnificent task delivered well. At the end of a particularly challenging year, I wanted to highlight the outstanding …
SEE: The animation for King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard’s ‘If Not Now, When?’
TWO THINGS about New Zealand’s King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard: one. They’re immense, ass ‘n’ tousled locks-shaking fun. Two. Christ, they’re prolific. Their cup of creativity runneth o’er. Twenty-three albums in eight years, if you follow the Discogs tally of these things – a mere three this year, slackers – but that’s only if …
Track: The Chills – You’re Immortal
The Chills have provided a very nice end of the year surprise in the form of a new single ‘You’re Immortal’, and all the horrors of 2020 suddenly seem to dissipate ever so slightly, like memories of a bad dream. ‘You’re Immortal’ has that baroque pop elegance full of pomp and circumstance that the The …
Track: Bitter Defeat – Long Lash
Bitter Defeat caught our eye earlier this year with the single ‘The Light That Shines‘ – I described it as an effervescent slice of classic New Zealand indie pop mixed with a Buzzcocks swagger and a rousing chorus. Their new single ‘Long Lash’ proves that this wasn’t an aberration. The story behind the lyrics is …
Album Review: Dead Famous People – Harry
There is a simple and very expressive joy that threads its way through the new album by the enigmatic Dons Savage under the nom de plume of Dead Famous People. It has to be a genetic implant in New Zealanders – it can be found in the work of The Chills, The Clean and The …