Every week, Rolling Stone AU/NZ highlights our favourite New Zealand music from the past seven days.
Check out fresh tracks from Dateline, Louis Baker, Flamingo Pier, Melodownz, MAYJUN, BAYNK, Lisa Crawley, and PONZ, below.
Dateline – “Be Good”
Big things are coming from Dateline, shortlisted for this year’s Silver Scroll Awards. Wellington’s Katie Everingham leads the indie-pop project – featuring Hikurangi Schaverien-Kaa, Phoebe Johnson, and Reuben McDonald – which just dropped their upbeat single “Be Good”. The jangly track keeps their signature wry and heartfelt style.
Dateline’s new album, It’s All Downhill From Here, is out September 5th via the good folks at Sunreturn, produced by Jonathan Pearce (The Beths) and mastered by Oli Devlin (Hans Pucket). Expect the band to keep climbing.
Louis Baker – “Fools Expectation”
A welcome return for Wellington’s Louis Baker, “Fools Expectation” taps into retro soul with Leon Bridges-like warmth and Baker’s knack for simple, stirring lyrics.
“When the well was running dry, the rain came pouring down. This first line of the song describes how I was feeling about the world at that time,” he shares. “Sometimes you run out of energy or will power. You get down. Then things change. You get through. You remember everyone is having their own unique challenges and you put everything into perspective. You feel grateful for necessities like food, shelter and water.”
Flamingo Pier – “Mazunte”
Turns out Flamingo Pier have been busy cooking up new tracks during their global tour last year, with sunny Mexico inspiring one standout moment. This funky dancefloor groove pays tribute to Mazunte in Oaxaca, where the trio spent a week and even recorded an ‘In My Room’ session for Rolling Stone AU/NZ.
“We’re so happy to have a permanent reminder of our magical stay and the beautiful hospitality we received there,” says Luke Walker of Flamingo Pier.
They’re kicking off their US tour this month, and “Mazunte” will be on their new EP, Supro, dropping August 8th.
Melodownz, deadforest, Dera Meelan – “HIGH VIBRATION”
Melodownz boosted the weekend with his smooth flows and uplifting mantras. The West Auckland MC joins forces with Dera Meelan and Deadforest for this high-energy track guaranteed to bring good energy.
MAYJUN – “In Denial”
MAYJUN burst onto the scene in May with their debut single, “Jealous”, showing off their nostalgic pop-punk sound. Now, the trio—Jeremiah Fale, Tivoli Levi, and Elijah McPherson—are back with “In Denial”, keeping the energy high with catchy melodies and strong vocals.
BAYNK – “GRIN”
New Zealand-born, LA-based electronic artist and producer BAYNK has announced his second album, SENESCENCE, with this new track about that moment right before you break into a grin. It’s catchy hooks and elastic baselines will definitely have you smiling.
Revulva – “Beep Beep”
A song for road rage? Revulva have got you covered. The eight-piece femme-fronted soul/funk band’s new track, “Beep Beep”, was inspired by the aggressive driving and honking Phoebe Johnson experienced on a typically rainy Wellington night.
“’Beep Beep’ is my attempt to unpick aggression on the road,” Johnson shares. “I wanted to convey how being inside a car can make you feel invincible, on a pedestal, and very high and mighty. But I wanted to convey the nuance of this behaviour and lean in on the satire and make fun of those who participate in it – ‘those people’ is also sometimes me!”
Lisa Crawley – “Hey You”
Kiwi singer Lisa Crawley, now based in LA, is back with the doo-wop melodies and moody reflections of new single “Hey You”. The glamorous music video, directed by Will Cook, was shot at a Hollywood lounge.
“’Hey You’ is about investigating the layers and complexities we have as humans, trying to understand them more. It’s coming to the conclusion there’s certain feelings and emotions we have that we may never be able to pinpoint, but are certainly there. It explores a sense of loneliness that can be hard to define – the type you can feel even when in the company of others,” Crawley explains.
PONZ – “Fantasies”
Tāmaki Makaurau vocalist and DJ PONZ, aka Lauren Pondes, returns with “Fantasies”, leaning more into the pop side of her strong electronic repertoire.“’Fantasies’ is my first song that isn’t a straight drum and bass track and the expansion was definitely something that I’ve been wanting to do for a while,” Pondes says.
