Stay up to date with all the New Zealand music releases from last week with Rolling Stone AU/NZ’s weekly roundup.
Check out the best new music from Aotearoa acts released last week below!
Pickle Darling – Bots
In their new album Bots, Lukas Mayo, the mastermind behind Pickle Darling, Lukas Mayo, ruminates on adulthood. It explores how broken things can feel complete, fitted with eight maximalist songs that almost crashed a laptop in the making.
It features previously released singles “Violence Voyager”, “Congratulations Champion”, “Human Bean Instruction Manual”, and “Massive Everything”.
Theia – “Patupaiarehe”
A haunting, powerful song, Theia’s “Patupaiarehe” takes its name from the mythological forest and mountain dwelling ‘folk’ known as Patupaiarehe while alluding to Aotearoa’s colonial history. The new single is off her highly anticipated debut album GIRL, IN A SAVAGE WORLD, due for release on November 7th.
“I love the imagery of Patupaiarehe as kaitiaki (guardians) of the whenua (our Earth Mother, Papatuuaanuku). Stories from the past, of their hostility towards intruders, mirrors the ongoing battle and tensions we are still experiencing today,” she says of the single.
Love Music?
Get your daily dose of everything happening in Australian/New Zealand music and globally.
Reb Fountain – “Silver Linings”
We all need a little light to guide the way. Reb Fountain’s new single “Silver Linings” does just that: it’s an instant classic, full of hope to navigate hard times. The song reminds us how to care for ourselves through the ups and downs, with a stripped back, intimate feel.
Fly My Pretties (ft. Barnaby Weir) – “Face the Sun”
Founder and frontman Barnaby Weir has led Fly My Pretties’ latest track, taken off the upcoming deluxe version of their album ELEMENTAL. One of the more laid-back cuts from the album, “Face the Sun” incorporates touches of modern-day folk and Americana, a side which is familiar to fans.
Dillastrate – “So in Love”
Crafted by bandmates Henare (H) Kaa (Ngāti Porou) and Tim Driver, Dillastrate’s “So in Love” nods to Motown’s golden era but moves with the same polish as the likes of Silk Sonic — all tied up in a distinctly Aotearoa shed party groove. The reo Māori version of the neo-soul track has been released, while the English version will arrive on September 19th.
“We worked with matanga reo Hemi Hoskins to reimagine the essence of the waiata through te ao Māori. The reo Māori version is more suggestive and sensual, you can feel the tension and depth. That is the beauty of our language – it goes deep,” says Kaa.
Crystal Chen – You can call me CC
Crystal Chen’s debut studio album, You can call me CC, is comprised of 12 tracks that feel like handwritten journal entries translated into music, set to a backdrop of intricate compositions and ornate instrumentation provided by New Zealand’s finest jazz musicians.
The album release is accompanied by a dreamy 16mm black and white music video for lead single “Can’t Help It”.
Adam Hattaway & the Haunters – Hot Variety
Hot Variety is the seventh full-length release from Adam Hattaway & the Haunters, and it might be their most immediate, unfiltered album yet. The arrangements are lean, the sonics dry and intimate, and every performance is captured as it happened. The vocals were tracked in full takes, not pieced together, giving the songs a raw energy.
The album features the previously released single “Ted Danson”.
Baby Zionov (ft. Moody V) – “Space Holiday”
The latest single from Baby Zionov, the musical project of Aaliyah Zionov, delivers a rave lullaby, a campy little bedtime story that you can dance in your pajamas to. The euro influence is abundant with synth arpeggios and midi horn melodies propped up by a funky house beat. The new single joins “Cirrus Homebound”, “Froggy Forest Raceway” and “Dolphin Diamond Raceway” (ft. deepState) on new album Raceways Of My Heart, out October 3rd.
Emerson – “Counting Sheep”
Emerson’s sixth single, “Counting Sheep”, pairs Mk.gee-inspired textures with shimmering synths and her signature melodic pull. With support slots alongside Borderline, Will Swinton, and Frankie Venter already under her belt, a national tour with Dani Josie about to begin, and a Rhythm & Vines 2025 set locked in, Emerson is quickly building momentum around New Zealand.
