Every week, Rolling Stone AU/NZ highlights our favourite New Zealand music released over the past seven days.
Explore prevous coverage on Foley, Wiri Donna, and Rita Mae, and dive into the latest highlights from Holly Arrowsmith, Dateline, Mystery Waitress, Flaxxies, Luna Shadows, Sanoi, Japes, Liam Finn, Len Blake, and SXMPRA, below.
Holly Arrowsmith – “Blue Dreams”
Holly Arrowsmith has released the title track from her upcoming album, Blue Dreams. The Arrowtown-raised singer explores her first-time experience of parenthood on the wistful country-tinged track, accompanied by a music video shot on film in the picturesque Mackenzie Country of Southern Aotearoa.
“I was a first-time parent in the middle of a pandemic, surviving in those early days of chronic sleep deprivation,” shares Arrowsmith. “I realised I had never heard a song about this transition, especially about how hard it can be in those first months when you are so exhausted and trying to work it all out. I felt this huge burden of responsibility, bringing life into such a turbulent world.”
Produced by Tom Healy (Marlon Williams, Bic Runga) Blue Dreams is due out July 26th on Leather Jacket Records.
Dateline – “Hands”
Dateline’s second single of 2024 is here. “Hands” finds Wellington songwriter Katie Everingham exploring a character stuck in a monotonous work and life situation.
“Just chugging through the days and nights, looking and longing for more, but not wanting to completely blow up their life,” explains Everingham. “They’re fantasising about a different life they could be leading.”
Recorded at Vogelmorn Hall with Jonathan Pearce (The Beths) and Oliver Devlin (Hans Pucket), “Hands” follows the fantastic “Choose Me”, which topped student radio charts.
Mystery Waitress – “In a Shell”
Wellington four-piece Mystery Waitress, freshly signed to the esteemed indie label Flying Nun, have released the second single from their upcoming album.
“In a Shell” serves as the atmospheric closing track, exploring themes of disconnection and haunting loneliness. The beautifully moody music video was directed and shot by Taylor Nixon.
Flaxxies – “Blister”
Flaxxies switch gears from their high-energy surf-rock with “Blister”, a stripped-back ballad pondering early adulthood pressures and career paths.
Luna Shadows – bathwater
Luna Shadows has released her new album, bathwater. With song titles like “Witches’ Brew” and “Full Moon”, it’s a mystical reflection on themes of memory, love, loss, and grief. “The album takes a journey through a cycle of emotions, offering permission to feel it all,” the artist says.
Sanoi – “Silver – Midnight Mix”
Sanoi gives us his track “Silver”, featuring Beacon Bloom, a club-ready deep tech house rework. The original “Silver” is from the German-born, Aotearoa-based electronic producer’s second album, Echoes of Home.
Japes – “Lighter Thief”
Japes, aka Wellington’s Mia Kelly who’s now in Melbourne, drops “Lighter Thief”, the third single from her upcoming EP. It blends dreamy, distorted soundscapes with dusty percussion and droning synths, exploring self-forgiveness, acceptance, and closure.
Liam Finn – “Spiralling”
Crowded House‘s Liam Finn unleashes the heavy-hitting next instalment of his upcoming Hyperverse project with the new single “Spiralling” written and recorded entirely via livestream. “’Spiraling’ is a song about coping mechanisms and the ways we all deal with anxiety differently. Screaming helps,” Finn explains.
Len Blake – “Lost in Comfort”
London-based Kiwi Len Blake shares her first single of 2024, a reflective slice of dreamy indie pop about moving to the other side of the world. “I take comfort in being lost,” she asserts.
SXMPRA – “STICK EM UP!”
Lastly, the NZ rapper does what he does best on his latest track – a non-stop rager.
