NZ Music Month/Te Marama Puoro o Aotearoa wrapped last week with the Aotearoa Music Awards and an eclectic mix of releases from local artists still rolling out.
Missed last week’s picks? Catch up on Lorde, Phoebe Rings, Greta O’Leary, Arjuna Oakes, and then check out what else is new below.
Soft Bait – “New Leaf”
Auckland’s post-punk upstarts Soft Bait are gearing up for a new album, Life Advice, landing July 25 via their new label home, Flying Nun. The first single “New Leaf” is out now, and the band describe the record as “ten tracks of noise, nerves, and questionable insight.”
Adam Hattaway and the Haunters – “Tommy Sees Ghosts”
Just months after their Marlon Williams-produced album High Horse (which landed on our Best NZ Albums of 2024 list), Ōtautahi’s Adam Hattaway and the Haunters return with “Tommy Sees Ghosts”, a hypnotic single spun from ghost stories and and recorded deep in a South Aotearoa wool-shed. The suitably hazy visuals, directed by Hēmi Baker, unfold amid Melbourne’s Abbotsford Convent. On the flip, the Stonesy b-side “Roadside Incident” keeps the energy high.
Unknown Mortal Orchestra – “BOYS WITH THE CHARACTERISTICS OF WOLVES”
Unknown Mortal Orchestra have announced a new EP, CURSE, dropping June 18th. Inspired by ’70s and ‘80s Italian horror films, the supernatural-tinged lead single “BOYS WITH THE CHARACTERISTICS OF WOLVES” delivers experimental jams and comes with a video directed by frontman Ruban Nielson himself.
Womb – “Slip”
Dream-pop trio Womb close out their latest album One Is Always Heading Somewhere with a new video for “Slip”, directed by East Abernethy.
Ladi6 – Le Vā
After seven years, Ladi6 returns with Le Vā, an electronic soul album “honouring the passing of Ladi6’s beloved mother, Fuarosa, in 2020.” It’s a creative vessel for grief, remembrance, and reconnection.
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“Le Vā is the space between – between life and death, between who I was and who I’m becoming,” says Ladi6. “It’s about acknowledging loss, holding love, and finding new ground in that in-between.”
Balu Brigada – “Backseat”
Fresh off a huge world tour opening for Twenty One Pilots, Kiwi brothers Pierre and Henry Beasley, aka Balu Brigada, have announced their debut album Portal, out August 29th, alongside their latest single “Backseat”.
The upbeat six-minute track is, in their words, “a saga and the most ambitious song we’ve made to date.” Its video, directed by Jack Alexander Cohen, was shot in the desert at Joshua Tree National Park.
Yumi Zouma – “Blister”
Yumi Zouma strip it back on “Blister”, a thrashy, sunburnt follow-up to “Bashville on the Sugar”.
“‘Blister’ surged ahead on the back of our most anthemic riffs, conjuring images in our minds of C4, Channel Z, prepaid flip-phone text plans, and the Big Day Out main stage under the punishing heat of the hole in the ozone layer,” they share.
Zoe Moon – “The Letter”
Wellington-based Zoe Moon returns with her third solo single, “The Letter”. Blending soul, R&B, and gospel, the song reflects on kinship, closure, and letting go. “For the first time, I’ve released a track that connects explicitly to the music that shaped my family’s story — a sound that held us together and carried us forward,” says Moon.
Calla of Ursa – Animal Reaction
Animal Reaction is the new album from Aotearoa artist Calla of Ursa. It explores personal vulnerability, women’s struggles, animal rights, and the environment. Described as a “call of resistance and reclamation,” the album blends operatic vocals, tribal rhythms, acoustic instruments, and cinematic production.
