Each week, Rolling Stone AU/NZ highlights our favourite New Zealand music from the past seven days.
Check out last week’s picks featuring Louis Baker, Goodspace, and Luca George, and explore fresh highlights from Will McClean, Gracie Miller, ratbag, Lizzy Kula, Anna Coddington, and Crowded House below.
Will McClean – “Find My Way”
Will McClean is on the move with “Find My Way,” the first track from his upcoming EP. With its jazzy saxophone melodies and smooth lyrical delivery, it marks a big step forward for the hip-hop artist. After sharing the stage with local legends Home Brew in September, there’s clearly much more to come.
Gracie Moller – “Coco-Cola Girl”
Every rising pop artist needs a ballad, and Gracie Molley’s “Coco-Cola Girl” does just that, skillfully tugging at heartstrings and revealing her anxieties as she admits, “I’ve got enough problems for two, if you were running out.”
ratbag – “pinky girl”
How do you follow up a song about lousy boyfriends? For Ratbag, it’s “pinky girl,” a track that gives a voice to the original character’s disgruntled girlfriend (check out “pinky boy” here. With its woozy midtempo and lush orchestration, it shows a new side of this rising Aotearoa artist.
Lizzy Kula – “afterthought”
Lizzy Kula’s new music video turns her weekly grocery shopping into a cinematic experience. In the shadowy aisles of her local store, the Mt Maunganui-based alt-pop artist brings the empowering lyrics of her latest single “afterthought” to life, proving she’s ready to leave heartbreak off her list for good.
Anna Coddington – “GAINZ”
Capturing the funky vibe of her new bilingual album, Anna Coddington has released a banger of a music video for “GAINZ,” complete with eye-popping retro visuals. The track, which is all about not settling, features guest vocals on the choruses from her good friends Julia Deans, Anika Moa, and Hollie Smith.
Crowded House – “Some Greater Plan (For Claire)”
As they gear up for their UK arena tour, NZ music giants Crowded House have returned with a new single, “Some Greater Plan (For Claire).”
The story goes that brothers Neil and Tim Finn borrowed their father’s war diary, drawing on a memory of a whirlwind Italian romance for the beautifully written song. Neil reflects on the inspiration for the song, saying, “It was always a thing that came up. Dad would have this wistful look in his eye when he would talk about Italy.”
