Every week, Rolling Stone AU/NZ keeps you tuned in to the freshest sounds from Aotearoa.
Catch up on previous coverage of Jujulipps, The Phoenix Foundation, Foley, and Drax Project.
Check out what you might have missed last week below.
Teeks, “Red Light”
Teeks makes a smoldering return with “Red Light,” his first release in three years. The award-winning Māori artist calls it his reintroduction: “I wanted to come back with some subtle heat. Something intentionally seductive,” Teeks shares.
No Cigar, “Chantilly”
No Cigar reflect on creativity and pressure with “Chantilly”, their first release since 2023’s The Great Escape. Written in the French town of Chantilly, the energetic track captures the beauty—and the pressure—of its setting. “Flying halfway around the world to create brought real pressure,” the band says. “We hit a wall creatively until a walk along the autumnal riverbanks cleared our heads. When we got back to our instruments, the valve was released.”
Vince Harder – “Ur My $ign”
Vince Harder closes out 2024 with “Ur My $ign”, a feel-good R&B jam co-written with Kings. Love doesn’t need zodiac signs when the stars already align.
There’s a Tuesday, “Water Baby”
Christchurch’s There’s a Tuesday dive deep into relationships on “Water Baby”, a soothing track to wrap up the year.
Big Scout – “Push Up”
Blenheim post-punks Big Scout unload on bad mental health advice with “Push Up.” Gritty and furious, the track leads their short and sweet new EP, which also features the equally sharp “Butter Chicken Mild” and the cheeky B-side, “Donut.” As frontman Gregg Slatter puts it, the song is “essentially a greatest hits of the bad advice that came my way whilst working through my various anxieties, the tension in wanting to tell everyone and everything to fuck off. Like, I hadn’t already thought of that… ya c*nt!”
Flaxxies, Tiki Taane, “Daywrecker”
Flaxxies team up with Tiki Taane for “Daywrecker,” a reggae anthem throwing shade at New Zealand’s drinking culture. “Our goal was to create a true Kiwi classic – one that encourages listeners to reflect on our culture, while also presenting as a fun and light-hearted banger for your Kiwi Summer roadie,” says Flaxxies. “BOSH!”
Tami Neilson, “Three Cigarettes in an Ashtray”
Tami Neilson stuns in Patsy Cline’s new concert film with her rendition of “Three Cigarettes in an Ashtray.” “I’ll never forget this moment,” Neilson says. “Three days later, and I still haven’t touched the ground.”
Summer Thieves, “Just Don’t Know”
Summer Thieves lean into laid-back summer vibes with “Just Don’t Know.” “The song follows two characters, a man and a woman whose internal struggles and paths are different, but their inner turmoil and pain is the same,” the band explains. “With the last chorus of ‘Just Don’t Know’, they are bought to the same realisation and are able to find understanding and closure. Big ups to our good friend Chelsea for her sweet backing vocals, truly the icing on the cake for this track!”
Aidan Fine, “House of Blue”
Tāmaki Makaurau’s Aidan Fine closes his debut EP Wings with “House of Blue”, a smooth track that lingers. “After a year spent in quiet transformation, ‘House of Blue’ emerges as a final look at the sonic journey that began with my debut EP, Wings” says Fine. “For me, this song represents one foot in the past, and the other in the future – closing one chapter as a new one begins”.
