Dateline are back with their first release in two years.
“Meltdown” is one of the Aotearoa indie band’s most assured singles to date, buoyed by some serious firepower behind the scenes: The Beths’ Jonathan Pearce and Michael Howell helped record the song, Tom Healy handled mastering, while it was produced and mixed by Pip Brown, aka Ladyhawke.
The shapeshifting Dateline lineup is always led by Katie Everingham, joined by collaborators like Reuben McDonald. She penned “Meltdown” about the conflicting reality of being a mother.
“Not a day goes by where I am not so grateful for my daughter and so aware of how lucky I am to be her mum; however, in the last four years I have also experienced some really significant personal challenges that arose from parenting,” Everingham explains.
“There is immense pressure to get it right and this little person exists who knows exactly how to push your buttons and the combination lead me to some pretty tricky places from a mental health perspective. I wouldn’t have things any other way, but trying to be a good parent really does impact and change everything.”
Everingham was thrilled to have Brown’s experience and expertise on board for the song.
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“From a production standpoint she brings amazing ideas to the songs that would never occur to me to try out or include,” she says. “It has meant branching out slightly from almost straightforward grunge/rock songs, but I feel like everything she does adds so much magic. I couldn’t be more excited about the stuff we are working on.”
“Meltdown” arrives ahead of Dateline’s recently announced UK and Europe tour, which will take them to Manchester, Leeds, Brighton, London, and, um, Sowerby Bridge in late September and early October. Ticket information is available here.
Dateline’s forthcoming tour follows their recent run across the same continent in support of fellow Kiwi band The Beths last year.
“Meltdown” is Dateline’s first drop since their excellent 2024 album It’s All Downhill From Here, which featured in our Best New Zealand Albums of 2024 countdown.
Dateline’s “Meltdown” is out now.
