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 September 22nd-28th below!
Casual Healing – WAI
WAI is the third EP from Casual Healing’s, born Nikau Te Huki, series of four EPs inspired by Te Taiao, the natural world. Each one embodies an element, WAI being water, with AHI (fire) and HAU (wind) already out. WAI is a six-track journey, featuring “Moving Together”, of soul, gospel, and meditation bursting with inspiring emotion. Singing to the very essence of our humanity, Casual Healing has turned holy water into sound. Completing the cycle, the final EP ONE (earth) is due for release in December.
D.C. Maxwell – “Golden Light”
“Golden Light” is an anthem for love in a collapsing world. D.C. Maxwell turns the traditional love song on its head, focusing on the anxiety and fear that comes with loving someone deeply in a world that feels on its last legs. Featuring backing vocals from Hatchie and piano/glockenspiel from Stefan Blair, the Bonnie Knight-produced song has been released alongside a DIY music video, recorded illegally on a rooftop in Preston.
1Drop Nation – “Nothings Wrong”
Over the past year, the Ōtautahi six-piece have been dropping singles from their upcoming album THE WAY WE LOVE, out November, and “Nothings Wrong” is the latest taste. Written by members Kanei Johnson and Paerau Hempop, the reggae banger delivers an uplifting message, reminding people not to sweat the small stuff.
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Lou’ana – “Heartbeat”
Lou’ana’s “Heartbeat” is taking fans one step closer to her full-length album DISCO WITCH, due for release next month. The track follows the journey of a woman surrendering to the night and to her confidence, dropping into the heartbeat of the song and into the healing grooves of music. Lou’ana wrote the song several years ago with a team of songwriters from Aotearoa, before then crafting it with producer Nathan Judd.
Hemi Hemingway – “Wings of Desire”
The second release from Hemi Hemingway this year, “Wings of Desire” finds him at his most assured. Equal parts swagger and vulnerability, the song channels his signature mix of heartfelt lyricism and cinematic scope. The song is accompanied by a playful video, directed by Adam Joseph Browne, that blends melancholy with absurdity.
Harper Finn – “Satellite”
Both intimate and expansive, Harper Finn’s “Satellite” captures the longing of distant love. Over drifting melodies and steady rhythms, Harper paints the picture of a connection that remains luminous even when physically apart. The track is the latest look at his debut album Silo Park, out next month.
Nathan Haines – “Just Holdin’ On (Instrumental)”
The musician/composer/producer’s single “Just Holdin’ On (Instrumental)” has been lifted from the upcoming NOTES (DELUXE EDITION), an expanded re-release of his 2024 album. Stripping away the vocals of the original, the instrumental version puts the composition’s architecture in sharp focus. Haines’ saxophone and flute melodies step to the fore, with long-line phrases and subtle harmonics that underline the tune’s mood of quiet momentum.
