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Best New Zealand Music of the Week: October 20th-26th

Stay up to date with all the New Zealand music releases from last week with Rolling Stone AU/NZ’s weekly roundup

Babe Martin

Abigail Dell'Avo

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 October 20th-26th below!

Babe Martin – “Summer Fruit”

The third single off Babe Martin’s upcoming album Not a Bee, But a Wasp, “Summer Fruit” captures the calm after turbulence and the quiet question of what comes next. Anchored by a haunting viola line, it uses metaphor to examine aging, change, and community.

“‘Summer Fruit’ is deeply personal, so that’s exciting to share. The feeling that the song evokes is exactly how I feel now. Calm and questioning. I’m very excited for people to hear this one,” Zoë Larsen Cumming, the musician and songwriter behind Babe Martin, says. “If ‘Sundog’ was the calm before the storm, ‘Summer Fruit’ is the calm afterwards. It was the last song I wrote for the EP, and feels absolutely like a conclusion. It’s a snapshot of a new beginning, and feeling very much at peace, but very much changed.”

Jeremy Redmore – SINGALONGERCISE

The former Midnight Youth frontman has released his debut children’s album, with the aim of encouraging wellness through singing and music. The album is a fun and energetic collection of modern pop-leaning tracks, produced for an adult audience but featuring lyrics and themes for kids.

“The concept of this record was sparked by scientific research, which shows that when kids sing and move in synchrony, they receive notable neurophysiological benefits that also help them feel more connected and accepted by their peers,” he explains.

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PARK RD – “The Way I Feel”

Their first release after spending the winter recording a new album, “The Way I Feel” sees lead singer Tom Chamberlain trying to embrace his inner “bad boy”, longing after an unrequited love. The uptempo track is pushed forward by wistful guitars and driving drums, with a singalong chorus that has already caught the attention of crowds around Auckland.

Luca George – Say hi to Paula

Luca George’s new five-track EP is his most emotionally honest and vulnerable body of work to date, with haunting melodies and brutally honest lyrics. It dissects and ties together themes of love, loss, emotional struggle, and self-discovery, exploring the pain of broken relationships and the messy aftermath and struggle to find closure.

Each song confronts a different aspect of heartache, from bittersweet nostalgia to chaotic emotional release. With George’s soaring vocals and anthemic production, the EP is a confession and proof that even in the wreckage, beauty can still bloom.

Deva Mahal – “Sometimes Good”

Sultry and sexy, “Sometimes Good” captures the vulnerability and depth of Deva Mahal’s songwriting and showcases her unmistakable, jaw-dropping vocal. She started writing the song when she was living in New Orleans, but only finished it last year. “Sometimes Good” is the latest in a series of singles, as she builds to revealing her highly-anticipated new EP, due out in 2026.

Double Parked – “Necklace”

An introspective anthem navigating the non-linear process of battling mental health stability, imposter syndrome, and inner demons, “Necklace” finds the post-surf rockers tapping into new depth with some of their most personal songwriting to date.

Contrasting soft and coarse textures with the tracks shimmering bass lines building into a climax of stomping drums and sombre guitar chords, frontman Tom Purdie’s cathartic lyricism recounts a confronting portrayal of reaching mental rock bottom.