Here’s Rolling Stone AU/NZ’s weekly roundup of the freshest sounds in New Zealand music.
Catch up on last week’s coverage on NO CIGAR, Ringlets, Cindy, Georgia Lines, Lorde, and Tami Neilson, and then check out what else is new in New Zealand music below.
BENEE – “Off the Rails”
Aotearoa alt-pop star BENEE returns with “Off the Rails”, a bold new track made with Luka Kloser and Elvira Anderfjärd (Addison Rae collaborators), along with longtime producer Josh Fountain. She calls it “feminine rage,” a song about being “sick of being pushed around and embracing the chaos.” It follows “Animal” and “Sad Boiii”, and arrives as she tours the UK and Europe with Tate McRae.
Crystal Chen – “Kiss it Better”
Tāmaki Makaurau artist Crystal Chen has released a dreamy sunset beach video for her single “Kiss it Better”. “This one’s about the girls, for the girls,” says Chen. “It was inspired by the end of last summer—one night we went out and danced all our troubles and worries away, and it went a bit like this…”
Liam Finn – Hyperverse
Liam Finn’s new album Hyperverse is his biggest project yet, made completely through live streams. He played all the instruments and did the mixing himself, sharing his creative process with fans along the way. He spoke about the album in more detail with Rolling Stone AU/NZ here.
“It’s been the most creative time of my life,” Finn says. “I wanted to find a way to write, record, and release music outside of the traditional industry standards, replacing the parts that felt forced and soul-destroying with more creativity and more connection to humans.”
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French for Rabbits – “Gold and Blue”
French for Rabbits return as a full band for the first time in a year with a five-show tour across Aotearoa, celebrating their new single “Gold and Blue” (see tour dates here). Written just before singer Brooke Singer’s son was born, the song was released to coincide with Matariki and reflects themes of change and creativity.
