Stay up to date with New Zealand music releases with Rolling Stone AU/NZ’s weekly roundup.
Check out the best new music from Aotearoa acts released between November 10th-16th below!
Paige – paigesspace
Following 2023 debut album King Clown, Paige returned to the studio seeking deep self-connection. In those long nights beneath the dim studio lights, the raw and honest Paige trickled onto paper in a way that is undeniably beautiful. Paigesspace, named after her longtime social media handle, is an intimate and stripped-back project. It’s a raw, honest body of work that serves as a very personal invitation into her world.
Alayna – “Hold Me”
Written in LA with the Grammy Award winning Sebastian Kole, alayna’s “Hold Me” is a heartfelt and emotional ballad, capturing the simple humanness of wanting to be held. “From self, from someone else, from someone you miss, from someone you love. It feels very universal,” she says. The single comes from her upcoming second album Set Her Free (due for release February 13th).
PONZ – When It’s Late
Blending house, jungle, drum & bass, and UKG, PONZ’s new album is designed for every aspect of a good night, from getting ready with friends, losing yourself on the dancefloor, to finding someone to share the sunrise with. “I found myself in a creative flow, writing music late at night in my bedroom with no clear destination” she says. “I wanted to capture those fleeting moments of revelation you get in a crowded room or on a late-night drive, where music hits you with the raw human experience.”
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Babe Martin – Not a Bee, but a Wasp
Babe Martin’s new EP has finally been released in its entirety. Not a Bee, but a Wasp greets its listeners with warm washes of violin, seascapes of piano, and Zoë Larsen Cumming’s (the visionary behind Babe Martin) singular voice combining to create a sonic world beamed in from another time and place. Each track is very personal, listed in the order they were written.
Foley – “Honey”
Following the release of their second album That’s Life Baby! earlier this year and recent single “Suckerpunch”, Foley are back with “Honey”, exploring the moments where you know you’ve pushed a little too hard in an argument. Ultimately a love song, and an ode to the right person who sticks it out through the sweet and sour alike, “Honey” captures the tougher parts of a relationship with endless grace and charm.
ZED (ft. Boh Runga) – “Another You”
The iconic band have teamed up with New Zealand music legend Boh Runga for “Another You”, a song born out of a moody moment of inspiration. “I’d found an old keyboard with this auto-chord setting, and it was pumping out these moody chords that conjured up the idea of someone heartbroken about losing a longtime love — the song kinda tumbled out from there,” ZED’s Nathan King says.
Dick Move – Dream, Believe, Achieve
The third studio album from the high-octane punk force, Dream, Believe, Achieve is 13 tracks of classic, unrelenting energy delivered in just 25 minutes. The album features previously released singles such as the fierce battle cry “Fuck It”, the empowering protest anthem “Nurses”, the patriarchal confrontation of “Scared Old Men”, and the short, punch hot take of “Shut Your Mouth”. Across the record, Dick Move deliver a raw, loud, and pointed critique of systems that commodify our lives, bodies, labour, and land, reclaiming agency, voice, and power.
Split Enz – ENZyclopedia Volumes One & Two
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of their groundbreaking debut, Mental Notes, the first instalment of a landmark archival project, ENZyclopedia Volumes One & Two, presents a comprehensive tribute to the visonary and influential band. Housed in a deluxe 5-CD box set, the release was curated carefully, in close collaboration with the band.
Sanoi – “When You Ready”
An emotive electronic track that balances rhythmic precision with cinematic warmth, Sanoi’s new single is built around a smooth, hypnotic groove and radiant synth layers. It comes off his long-awaited new album Augenblick, current available exclusively on cassette before its wide release on December 5th. “‘When You Ready’ is about that quiet but powerful moment before change,” he says. “It’s the feeling of standing still while everything around you starts to move — that pulse before the first step.”
Ny Oh – Wildwood
Ny Oh’s debut album is a 12-track journey of self-love through different lenses. Genre-bending in Ny Oh’s special way, her latest feels like a warm hug. “It’s a real snapshot into a special moment in time. Think of it as an analogue photograph. For me, it was a real treat to record it this way, to surrender to the moment — a theme that pops up a lot on this record,” she explains.
Yumi Zouma – “Phoebe’s Song”
This new romantic, heartfelt single comes from Yumi Zouma’s Josh Burgess, dedicated to his partner Phoebe. Christie Simpson’s weaving vocals blend seamlessly between lead, backing vocals, and harmonies, evoking the thrilling sensation of willingly losing oneself, as one often does in the throes of love.
Deva Mahal – “Till the Morning Comes”
“Till The Morning Comes” showcases Deva Mahal’s unmistakable and unrivalled vocals and her lyrical concern with matters of the heart. Her ability to convey both profound joy and deep sorrow through her lyrical and melodic compositions often leaves listeners overflowing with emotion, and this latest single is no exception.
