Here’s Rolling Stone AU/NZ‘s weekly roundup of the freshest sounds from New Zealand music.
Catch up on our previous coverage of Marlon Williams, Casual Healing, and 9lives — then check out what else you might’ve missed:
Arahi – “Baby’s Back”
Arahi’s got his eyes on the horizon with “Baby’s Back”, a sunny, dreamy track he wrote after relocating from Hawke’s Bay to Auckland. “In some ways it’s indicative of someone who has recently moved from the country to a big city,” Arahi shares. “I hope the listener can escape into a dreamy, blissful world.”
Sarah Mary Chadwick – “Not Cool Like NY / Not Cool Like LA”
Sarah Mary Chadwick’s back with her new album Take Me Out to a Bar / What Am I, Gatsby? (April 4th via Kill Rock Stars). The lead single, “Not Cool Like NY / Not Cool Like LA”, is a six-minute piano ballad that rings with nostalgia and longing. The album marks a new chapter for Chadwick, who got sober right after recording it. “I can hear it – the fading romance, the memories, and the pain that never leaves,” she reflects. Catch her at Lyttelton’s Port Noise Festival next month.
KVKA – “Purple Skies”
Just in time for his birthday, KVKA drops “Purple Skies”, a smooth, bouncy R&B jam that was worth the wait. “I’ve lived with this record for a while and didn’t know when I wanted to give it to the world but I think now is the time,” KVKA says.
Miss June – “HALO PER IDOL”
Miss June are back with a bang. Their first single in five long years, “HALO PER IDOL”, brings some fire back to the Aotearoa punk scene. They just opened for Amyl and the Sniffers in Auckland, and this track shows they’ve still got energy to burn.
Greta O’Leary – “Prelude”
After her 2024 chart-toppers, Greta O’Leary returns with “Prelude”, blending soft folk with moody production. A collaboration with Cass Basil, Alastair Deverick, Callum Passells, and Jol Mulholland at LAB Studio, this track is a haunting grower. O’Leary shares, “It’s about one phase of life ending and another beginning.”
Half Hexagon – “Shadow”
Auckland’s Yolanda Fagan (Na Noise, Echo Ohs), Julien Dyne (The Circling Sun, Opensouls), and James Milne (Lawrence Arabia) close out their new EP with “Shadow”. Expect twisted grooves, warped and a sound that’s unmistakably theirs.
There’s a Tuesday – “Margo”
Christchurch’s There’s a Tuesday drop “Margo”, an honest track with their signature indie rock sound. “It’s about the journey of being closeted in a world that doesn’t fully accept queerness,” they share.
Rosie Teese – “Oops Baby’”
Breakup anthem on Valentine’s Day? Rosie Teese does it with flair on “Oops Baby”, packing a punch with attitude.
Danica Bryant – “Morals”
Pōneke indie-pop artist Danica Bryant brings the positive feels with her latest single “Morals”, paired with a playful video that reminds us: the journey matters more than the destination.
Double Parked – “Dopamine”
West Auckland’s Double Parked deliver the ultimate lazy Sunday track with “Dopamine”. “The song started from a jam, and my dad started humming a melody with those words, “sunshine on my face,” then I went home and wrote the rest of the lyrics,” they explain.
L.A.B, Corrella & Brannigan Kaa – “Maumahara Noa Ahau”
L.A.B and Corrella team up with Brannigan Kaa to breathe new life into the Māori classic “Maumahara Noa Ahau”. This marks L.A.B’s first track recorded in te reo Māori, with Kaa guiding them through the process, while Louisa Williamson adds a touch of magic with her flute.
Greta Van Den Brink – “U + I”
Auckland-based indie singer-songwriter Greta Van Den Brink brings some Valentine’s Day sweetness with “U + I”.
Grecco Romank, Body Beat Ritual – Bootlicker EP
Auckland’s Grecco Romank join forces with Whanganui’s Body Beat Ritual for Bootlicker. “Bootlicker asks, ‘What mysterious appeal does the boot hold?’ Perhaps its particularly leathery taste fulfills a humiliation kink of the self-loathing middle class who see themselves as ‘temporarily embarrassed millionaires,'” they explain. Delightfully weird and always worth a listen.
