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 Ringlets, The Beths, BENEE, and Lorde.
Then check out what else is new in New Zealand music below.
MELODOWNZ – MELO & BASS
Proving once again just how versatile he is with genre, MELODOWNZ returns with his latest electronic-inspired EP, MELO & BASS. The Avondale MC weaves UK garage, drum & bass, jungle, breakbeat, reggae, and house into one bold package, pulling in local talent like Caru, Hyan, Dera Meelan, as well as guest spots from Sydney’s PANIA, Berlin-based R&B artist Milan Ring, Aotearoa neo-soul voice Romi Wrights, and rapper Deadforest.
Nadia Reid – “Moment By”
Fresh from the February release of her fourth album Enter Now Brightness, Nadia Reid has returned with a new single, “Moment By”, a song she says “belongs on the album” but didn’t quite find its place there. This December, Reid brings Enter Now Brightness back to New Zealand and Australia for six shows, celebrating an album that has only strengthened her reputation as one of Aotearoa’s most compelling songwriters.
Love Music?
Get your daily dose of everything happening in Australian/New Zealand music and globally.
Late June – “i don’t wanna do this anymore”
Aotearoa producer Late June, the moniker of Sonny Bevin, has shared a warm and intimate new single, “i don’t wanna do this anymore”. Marked by gentle piano and looping drums, the track also comes with news of a new album, tumblrcore, due in September.
“I’ve been sitting on it a while,” Late June explains. “I wrote it from my experience of my ED coming back this year and a bit last year wanting to be a solid good role model and being annoyed by it being more present I finally just said I don’t want to do this anymore stop being cringe”
Belladonna – “Driving Home for Christmas”
Belladonna is back with a new single, “Driving Home for Christmas”, four years on from her Total Eclipse of My Brain EP, co-written with Shannon Fowler (aka Tom Lark). The track is the first taste of her forthcoming debut album, produced by Chris Armour.
“I wrote driving home for Christmas shortly after my flat burnt down,” says Belladonna. “I moved to a new house and nothing seemed stable. I found comfort in returning to a relationship, much like returning to your hometown over the holidays. He’d come over and we’d sit on my bed and listen to the neighbours trees creaking. It was the familiarity that I was craving at the time, but I knew it would never be enough.”
dān dān – “pressure cooker”
Chinese-Pākehā artist dān dān’s new video for her folk-pop single “pressure cooker” gently unpacks mother-daughter tensions. Set in a Malaysian restaurant and featuring MasterChef 2022 winner Sam Low as a waiter, the clip gives shape to unspoken pressures and generational gaps.
“In many ways, it reflects the weight between my mum and I,” dān dān shares. “The weight of expectations, the love that’s there but often buried under generations of misunderstanding, the cultural gaps no matter how hard I try. The more I run, the further away she feels.”
Danica Bryant – “Narcissist” ft. Julia Belle
Danica Bryant has offered up one final taste of her debut album Feast with new single and video Narcissist, featuring fellow Wellington artist Julia Belle.
“’Narcissist’ is about how much ego and self-focus being a musician takes,” Bryant explains. “It takes a degree of selfishness to prioritize following your dreams… but we also tend to be the most vulnerable people; which can allow others to vilify and hurt us because we need to be sensitive to pursue this life.”
Lou’ana – “Aphrodite”
Lou’ana has shared another glimpse of her upcoming sophomore album Disco Witch, due out October 31, with a handful of tracks making up Side B of the full record. So Below includes five songs, among them the hypnotic, groove-soaked “Aphrodite”, which Lou’ana calls “a personal offering to the goddess who has quietly guided my inner world for years.”
Missy – Fuck
Missy has lifted the lid on the first in a trilogy of albums set to arrive in the coming months. Fuck, the first chapter, is a 10-track serving of her expressive pop. “Fuck Marry Kill encapsulates the essence of the entire project,” Missy says. “It’s pop with an edge — sexy, expressive, and effervescent.”
