Here’s Rolling Stone AU/NZ’s weekly roundup of the freshest sounds in New Zealand music.
Missed last week’s picks? Catch up on Yumi Zouma, then check out what else is new below.
Casual Healing – Ahi
Wellington artist Casual Healing (Nikau Te Huki) kicks off a four-part EP series inspired by Te Taiao (the natural world) with Ahi – fire.
Led by soulful singles “Aroha” and “Hypersensitive”, the project features local heavyweights Troy Kingi, MĀ, Kenzie From Welly, and Dub Princess.
His 2024 debut album Driftwood landed on Rolling Stone AU/NZ’s 2024 best NZ albums list, praised as “an easy listening delight” with Te Huki “flitting silkily between soulful crooning, smooth R&B, tender indie-folk, and reggae.”
He’s hitting the road this May, with shows in Auckland and Wellington.
Bub – “New Amsterdam”
Tāmaki Makaurau quartet Bub – fronted by Priya Sami (The Sami Sisters, Trip Pony, Dateline) with Daniel Barrett, David Harris, and Joe Kaptein – are dropoing their debut album Can’t Even on May 9. The latest taste is “New Amsterdam”, a cowbell-heavy, synth-laced doo-wop stomper about the frustration of unrealised potential.
The video leans into ’70s Aotearoa, starring the band alongside Scotty Cotter and Kura Forrester.
Emma Dilemma – Ouch My Head Hurts
Christchurch’s Emma Dilemma is back with a surprise EP. Ouch My Head Hurts is a five-track release exploring themes of mental health, heartbreak, resilience, and self-destruction – told in her familiar genre-hopping sound.
“Each song came from a moment where my brain just needed to release something – whether that was pain, rage, sadness, or clarity,” says Dilemma. “It’s a collection of sonic journal entries, and I hope people hear themselves in it.”
Arjuna Oakes – “Before It’s All Over”
London-based Kiwi Arjuna Oakes shares “Before It’s All Over”, the latest taste of his upcoming debut album.
“Lyrically, it’s the song I’m probably most proud of,” he says. “I wrote it in a very stream of consciousness way, lyrics like “sell my memories so I don’t have to forget” express the feeling of how we’ve surrendered so much of ourselves to social media and mass consumption, we don’t have so much responsibility for our own lives anymore”.
Fly My Pretties, Riiki Reid – “Share Your Luv”
Fly My Pretties tease their upcoming album Elemental with “Share Your Luv”, featuring vocals from Wellington pop artist Riiki Reid.
