The 50 Best New Zealand Albums of 2024

After more than a decade away, the Zed – who dominated Aotearoa’s music scene at the turn of the century – knew they had more to give.

The result is Future Memory, a solid comeback album that finds the Christchurch pop-rock band trying out new sonic elements. A top 20 chart placing confirms that Kiwis still have a lot of time for Zed.

Who says you can’t make desert rock if you don’t live in the desert? Troy Kingi took to Rancho de la Luna studio in Joshua Tree National Park to record Leatherman & the Mojave Green.

Now on the eighth entry in his intriguing 10:10:10 project (10 albums in 10 years), Kingi doesn’t sound tired in the slightest as he nears the end of his mission.

Auckland-based band Repairs explore the personal and political on their strong second album.

The stringently DIY record is noisy in the best possible way, waves of angry punk rock battering the listener’s ears. 2024 has often been a time to feel rightly angry, and Repairs funnel this sentiment into their album.

“We ultimately want to amplify te reo and te ao Māori through what we know best – music,” Kat, one half of dynamic duo Dillastrate, said.

They play to their strengths on their latest album, exploring their diverse musical palette – reggae, pop, drum and bass, and more – with skill and enthusiasm.

How do you follow winning not one but two trophies at the 2024 Aotearoa Music Awards? By releasing an album that highlights why you’re award-worthy in the first place.

After winning Best Roots Artist and Breakthrough Single of the Year (“Blue Eyed Māori”) at the ceremony in May, Corrella dropped Skeletons a few months later. Their second album is packed with roots-reggae anthems primed for summer festival season.

Te Huhu’s Deelishis Herbs is a psychedelic trip worth taking.

Mixing stoner shoegaze, blues, country, and folk rock, the album delivers a kaleidoscopic soundtrack that’s worth the wait from the collective.

Lyttelton’s award-winning Delaney Davidson and Barry Saunders create more songwriting magic together on Happiness Is Near.

“This was a quieter collection. More folky. Just two guys with their guitars and their songs,” Davidson said about the album, and sometimes that’s all you really need.

Arthur Ahbez’s latest album is ideal for fans of proper rock ‘n’ roll anthems.

Ahbez and some cowboy cohorts including Joe Ghatt (more on him later) stomp their way through psychedelia, blues, acid-folk, and more to create a cool throwback record. Ahbez’s third album is a rollicking ride.

Nathan Haines has been through a lot over the past decade. Now cancer-free after being diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer in 2017, Haines underwent throat surgery which damaged his vocal cords. His close friend and collaborator Phil Asher, who c0-produced Notes, then sadly passed away in 2021.

It’s little wonder, then, that Haines’ latest album and first solo album since 2014 is such a cathartic listen. The acclaimed saxophonist and producer powers his way through profound slices of jazz, dance, and soul.

One of the best artists on the excellent Third Eye Stimuli Records’ roster, Joe Ghatt sounds different than usual on Caper.

Long escaping his lo-fi roots, Ghatt’s latest album marks an evolution for the Kiwi artist, exploring his love for world sounds such as Afrobeat, Bossa Nova, Peruvian and Latin music.

It’s a global outlook that’s served some of Ghatt’s Australian peers like Bananagun and Sunfruits well, and he utilises these delicate sonic flavours just as exquisitely.

Nothing sums up funk-soul adventurers Revolve better than the one-two punch of “Landlord” and “Bush Bash” on their self-titled album: the former concludes with a frustrated tirade against vile landlords, before “Bush Bash” immediately bursts into life with squeals of sexual satisfaction. The dichotomy of Revulva is delightful.

The Wellington ensemble are supremely skilled enough to be able to pontificate on political matters while luring you to the dancefloor at the same time. Led well from the front by the charismatic vocals of Phoebe Johnson, Wellingtonians should feel excited about having a band like Revulva making music in their city.

They’re great going solo, doing their own thing, but nothing beats Church & AP together. On their third album, the pair team up with some trusted collaborators to craft a collaboration filled with alluring beats and seasoned flows.

It’s little wonder that Church & AP went so hard on the album from the outset. “POSTAL is our representation of anxiety and feeling stir crazy after years of confinement. It was one of the first songs created post-pandemic, so we aimed for a massive sound that could shake any sound system,” they said about their opening track, and it only gets better from there. POSTAL is defiant hip hop made by two artists at the top of their game.

It’s always going to be a daunting adventure when you step into the solo limelight after being in one of New Zealand’s biggest bands of recent times, but The Naked and Famous member Thomas Powers achieves great things in A Tyrant Crying in Private, aided by striking guest turns from the likes of Julien Baker.

Our review of Powers’ debut solo effort praised his vision and execution: “Millennials will remember The Naked and Famous, who thrived when ‘indietronica’ was cool at the turn of the 2010s. Now, the band’s Thomas Powers has proved his knack for impressive production hasn’t diminished on his debut solo album.

“Here, his minimalist compositions are fused with melancholia and introspection, and one could imagine hearing these songs in a Joachim Trier or Spike Jonze film,” we wrote.

Anna Coddington comes ready to party from the outset of Te Whakamiha.

Her latest album opens with the funky “Kātuarehe”, a bilingual waiata that was a worthy winner of the top prize at the 2024 APRA Silver Scroll Awards.

And while nothing tops the inviting funk of that opening track, Coddington’s first full body of work featuring te reo Māori has plenty of danceable tracks left to entertain listeners.

Lontalius songs arrive like late-night whispered confessions.

Blending emotive electronica with moody R&B and more stylish touches, the singer-songwriter/producer is on fine form on his sixth album. Beautiful tracks like “Casualty” are the reason Lontalius has built up a devoted global following outside of his home country.

Is it any surprise that Kimbra, the shimmering voice that featured in Gotye’s inescapable classic “Somebody That I Used to Know”, is an expert collaborator?

Choosing to follow last year’s excellent A Reckoning with a purely collaborative album, Kimbra dovetails well with BANKS, Tommy Raps, Sahtyre, and many more on Idols & Vices (Vol. 1). It’s a fascinating collection to dive into for old and new fans alike.

The fact that SKILAA were cited by us as ones to watch at The Others Way 2024, and then they were also one of our three highlights of the event sums up the Auckland group perfectly.

Another exciting product of Aotearoa’s fertile jazz community, SKILAA are a joy to behold both live and on record, energetically jumping between R&B, hip-hop, jazz, funk, and more sounds.

The Others Way rounded off a big year for SKILAA: they released their much-anticipated debut album, Tiger in the River, and its standout single, “Jenny Greenteeth”, was shortlisted for the APRA Silver Scroll Award.

Raw singer-songwriter albums don’t come much better than Sabotage, Mel Parsons’ sixth album. We had high praise for the Lyttelton artist’s album earlier this year:

“At eight tracks, the sixth album from Mel Parsons is a tight, fat-free collection of her trademark alt-country and indie folk, featuring some of her best songwriting to date,” we praised.

“There was a bit of an intention to try to make an album that ‘ROCKED’ and was fun to listen to,” Katie Everingham, the songwriter behind Dateline, said. Mission accomplished.

Pōneke-based artist AJA put a lot of time and thought into her debut album. She spent seven years carefully crafting the record, titled KĀWAI.

After a month-long barrage of fresh releases and music videos dropping almost daily during NZ Music Month, aptly named Swidt Music Month, Onehunga’s iconic hip-hop group SWIDT finally unleashed their highly anticipated album, Taking Care of Business.

Critics praised the album, with RNZ writing “this body of work is another testament to the legendary status they hold within the music scene.”

Four years after her breakthrough EP, Creature of Habit, marked Juno Is as one to watch in 2020, her long-awaited debut album was worth the wait.

Mackenzie Hollebon took great care in making her first full-length project as Juno Is, teaming up with producer-engineer De Stevens and other collaborators like multi-instrumentalist Thomas Isbister.

The result is a rich and layered collection of indie rock that superbly combines bright instrumentation and thoughtful lyricism. Where to Begin offers proof to artists that they don’t need to rush their debut album.

Jordyn with a Why would deserve a place on this list for that wonderful album title alone.

Thankfully the music on Hibiscus Moon, Love & Justice is as good as the album’s name, the Māori-Samoan artist weaving silky R&B magic over 10 tracks.

Already nominated for several notable awards, including Best Māori Artist at the 2024 Aotearoa Music Awards, expect more plaudits to be in Jordan with a Why’s future.

He might have been raised in Australia and now based in the UK, but Jordan Rakei was born in Tokoroa so he makes our list.

They don’t let just anyone be the first-ever Artist in Residence at the iconic Abbey Road Studios, and Rakei’s The Loop is a production marvel, full of soulful vocals and introspective songwriting.

“BAYNK’s second album SENESCENCE sees the New Zealand electronic producer enjoying the ride,” we wrote in a positive review of the Kiwi producer’s record earlier this year.

“Moving past debut album ADOLESCENCE, it shifts focus from youth to reflections of growing older. The album’s sound is less meticulously polished and more raw, with gritty distortion giving a live feel in tracks like ‘Fool for You’. ‘Feel’ brings energetic bounce, while ‘Grin’ charms with sweet and catchy vocal melodies.”

Meet Aotearoa’s version of Spacey Jane, and PARK RD’s career ceiling could be just as high as the WA indie rockers.

Our review praised The Novel for doing exactly what a debut album should: “The songs on The Novel are, almost to a fault at some junctures, pristinely polished for commercial viability, but increased experimentation and narrative risks can, for the PARK RD boys, wait until a second album.

“For now, The Novel achieves what any debut collection should: it gathers their most memorable singles together, while also providing just enough moments of sonic intrigue between those standout moments,” we wrote.

PARK RD are destined to be a major commercial success story for New Zealand music in the years to come.

Artists likely don’t care about us critics and our album rankings, but Louisa Nicklin should take pride in the fact that her latest album appears in our list along with selections in RNZ and Flying Out’s year-end lists.

With the one and only Shayne P. Carter on production, Nicklin’s contemplative lyrics pair well with the sombre sonic palette. Some indie singer-songwriters get lost in the sea of similar musicians, but Nicklin has developed a distinct style that’s all her own. The Big Sulk is a rewarding listen.

It’s a wonderful thing when an artist lands on a sound and style that’s tailor-made for them.

On his sixth full-length album in six years, Adam Hattaway takes a significant turn towards a more stripped-down approach than his earlier rock ‘n’ roll releases.

Produced by fellow New Zealand singer-songwriter Marlon Williams, Hattaway leans into slower tempos and grittier rhythms, pushing his voice further than ever before.

Hattaway may well return to rockier territory in the future, but High Horse is so good that he’d be a fool to leave this sparser style behind.

Tami Neilson has made no secret of her love for Willie Nelson, and this album feels like the culmination of this adoration.

Neilson Sings Nelson is a touching tribute to the music of the country music legend, and Neilson actually recorded it at Nelson’s Pedernales Studio in Texas.

We think she does justice to these covers, but what did the man himself think? He loved the album, of course. “Neilson sings the hell out of Nelson. Tami’s the real deal and does my songs a great honour,” he said.

Casual Healing is the solo project of Nikau Te Huki, whose debut album, Driftwood, is an easy listening delight. Te Huki is a true genre hopper, flitting silkily between soulful crooning sections, smooth R&B jams, tender indie-folk, and rap and reggae moments.

There’s also a strong sense of home and family in these songs, and they capture the journey of a young man finding his place in life: “I’m coming home / I’m coming home,”he softly sings in standout track “Aotearoa”. “Land of the long white cloud / I want to feel your mist / In this empty space,” the Wellington-based artist yearns.

Casual Healing has a bright future ahead of him in New Zealand music.

Dunedin indie-pop band Marlin’s Dreaming show off their evolving sound on their new album HIRL, following 2021’s Hasten.

With already firm favourites like the previously released “Lucky Star and the stunning collaborative ballad “Earnestly” with Erny Belle, it’s an assured and often beautifully melancholic collection.

Musical duos are a precarious venture – for every Simon and Garfunkel and White Stripes, there’s a Royal Blood and Black Keys –  but Earth Tongue’s Gussie Larkin and Ezra Simons, partners in music and in life, are of the former vintage.

The fuzz-rock duo create an unrelenting racket from start to finish on their second album, a record that perfectly announces their arrival on the LA-based label In the Red Records.

Larkin and Simons are unafraid to get theatrical in these songs, and they sound energised having taken their time between albums. (Their previous record, Floating Being, came out in 2019.) It’s blistering rock ‘n’ roll that has unsurprisingly won Earth Tongue key support slots for Ty Segall and Queens of the Stone Age.

P.H.F.’s 12th album is a challenging listen. Released just a few months after another album (LOAD), Suffer is less manic and more apathetic than previous releases, according to the prolific Joe Locke, the innovator behind the P.H.F. name.

Locke’s other P.H.F. projects, particularly 2022’s PUREST HELL, hurtled through genres at breakneck speed, energetically tearing into hyperpop and noise-rock and so many more other styles, creating a borderless sound. But he purposefully slows down the tempo on Suffer – perhaps reflective of his apathy while making the album – leaning into slowcore distortion and wearisome fuzz.

Like Teen Suicide or Elvis Depressedly at their best (musically), this is a desperately dark collection. Right from the very start, Locke includes a clip of a dystopian Ray Bradbury short story about a nuclear catastrophe; “Cuss” opens with a conversation about caring for an ageing grandmother. (“Do you have to change her diaper?” “Yeah, I hate that shit. I hate all that shit.”)

Don’t let this deter you, though, because the apathetic atmosphere is never enervating. For those brave enough to put it on, Suffer is a rewarding record; we have to count ourselves lucky when an artist like P.H.F. mines the depths of their soul to such a heavy degree. Suffer is the pinnacle, so far, for Locke as P.H.F.

Whatever Beabadoobee can do, Molly Payton can do just as good. On her highly anticipated debut album, Payton reproduces ’90s alt-rock with a modern twist to strong effect, just as Beabadoobee has done in her own work. (Payton previously supported the Filipino-British musician in Australia and New Zealand.)

Payton called YOYOTTA “a deeply personal project that depicts the artist at her most vulnerable,” and she gives all of herself in the lyrics and singing; her debut album is an open book, and that’s why it works so well.

Like a few other big names on our list, Fat Freddy’s Drop just aren’t capable of making a bad album. There will always be something to satisfy fans.

“Six albums in, and Fat Freddy’s Drop still know how to keep the grooves flowing,” we wrote in a positive review. “Their latest release, SLO MO, lives up to its name — a smooth, soulful ride packed with laid-back jamming energy. Most tracks stretch past the six or seven minute mark, with extended outros that allow you to fully sink into the sound.

“It’s in the latter half of the album where the ‘slo mo’ vibe truly shines. Dallas Tamaira’s vocals pull back, letting blissed-out, dub-infused arrangements take over, making you feel like you’re right there at one of their live shows.”

You could gather all the biggest alt-pop stars in the world in one room, invite all of their production gurus and superstar songwriters, and they still wouldn’t be able to come up with an album as fascinating and complex as Mousey’s latest.

The Dreams of Our Mothers’ Mothers! is a triumph for Christchurch-based artist Sarena Close, exploring difficult themes, particularly family dynamics (or lack thereof), with impressive openness. There’s something of Mitski in the way Mousey moves through her album – the emotive wails, the lush arrangements, the aching intimacy.

A previous nominee for Best Independent Live Debut (2019’s Lemon Law), expect Mousey to be challenging for the main Taite Music Prize in 2025.

When you’re almost two decades into a distinguished career in Aotearoa music, you’ve got to keep challenging yourself.

Aaradhna took complete control on Sweet Surrender, the long-awaited follow-up to 2016’s chart-topping Brown Girl, producing every track and playing many of the instruments herself.

The result is a confident collection that signals a bold new chapter in her already excellent discography. “Creating this album was a complete reset for me,” Aaradhna said. “I had to figure it all out myself. I didn’t want to rely on anyone else to create what I can hear in my head.”

Hannah Everingham’s music is as lovely and inviting as the album titles she chooses.

Siempre Tiene Flores, which translates to “always have flowers” in Spanish, is a tight collection of tracks made beautiful by their arresting percussion and Everingham’s hushed bilingual words.

Boosted by Latin-American flavours, Everingham’s album exudes warmth, recalling some of Devendra Barnhart’s earlier works. Siempre Tiene Flores is a musical balm to a wintry day – if Everingham’s debut, Between Bodies (2022), hinted at her potential, this album confirms her special songwriter status.

What’s really left to say about L.A.B at this point? The New Zealand chart titans would be forgiven for having rested on their laurels by now – they’ve really achieved it all in their home country.

But L.A.B still deliver the type of breezy reggae and pop-rock anthems on their sixth album that have made them one of the biggest Kiwi bands of their generation.

“It would have been understandable if L.A.B had grown somewhat complacent — even their album titles are stringently formulaic by now — but their sixth album is full of songs of formidable prowess, even if they rarely sway from the band’s winning sonic recipe,” we wrote in our review.

“Consistently releasing popular album after popular album is a difficult thing for any band to do, but L.A.B have found a formula that works for them; don’t bet against L.A.B VI being their third consecutive chart-topping album in their home country, as well as their sixth to go platinum. Remarkable longevity, really.”

On our radar since being named one of 8 Kiwi Artists Tipped to Take Over in 2022, CHAII has spent the past few years lighting up stages in world cities like London, New York, and LA, as well as showcasing her music at key events like SXSW. Her music has appeared on video game soundtracks, from FIFA to Fortnite, and her songs have featured in ads for iPhone, FENDI, KIA, as well as in Marvel movies and Netflix films.

At the same as doing all of this, CHAII somehow found time to work on her debut album, Safar, which finally dropped this year.

Produced alongside the Persian-Kiwi multi-hyphenate’s collaborator and life partner, Frank Keys, Safar (which means “journey” in Farsi) captures her journey of moving from Iran to New Zealand at a young age, and “continuing to have a connection to my culture through my music.”

And what a proud achievement Safar is for CHAII. “15 years ago, I told my school music teacher that I was going to mix Persian and Western music together and since then I’ve continuously experimented and had fun with it, while going through different phases of my life at the same time,” she said.

Safar confirms what we already knew: CHAII is a star.

Watch CHAII’s Rolling Stone AU/NZ ‘In My Room’ session from a Los Angeles rooftop here.

Move over The Chats and Drunk Mums (the band, before you ask), DARTZ are here to steal your punk rock crown.

DARTZ delivered a frenetic, fun second album that will have you scrambling to crack open a cold one, just as its title predicted.

The energy is high, the tracks are short and sharp, there’s plenty of humour, but DARTZ aren’t mere loveable larrikins: there’s plenty of substance lurking underneath the simple surface, including hilarious takedowns of rubbish landlords. (My landlord, he fell down the stairs during our flat inspection / He should have done all the repairs that I’ve countlessly mentioned / If the floor was insulated, his fall would have been more cushioned,” lead singer Daniel Vernon sings in “Flat Inspection”.)

We gave DARTZ’s album a four-star review: “It’s always a dangerous day to be a cold one when The Band From Wellington are around, but it’s also a dangerous day to be a ramshackle Kiwi pub-slash-music venue when DARTZ are kicking about: their raucous punk rock songs are made for the live setting, to be performed wildly in front of a packed pit of ecstatic revellers.

“Opener ‘Earn the Thirst’ celebrates the importance of putting in the hard yards before having a beer, and it sums up DARTZ right now: they’re enjoying themselves immensely after finding their hard-earned place in the New Zealand music scene,” we wrote.

New Zealand super producer Christoph El Truento makes his second appearance in one of our yearly lists, after the highly collaborative Circle of Friends made it to #18 on our Best New Zealand Albums of 2023 countdown. Now he’s made it to #9 and on merit, because Dubs From the Neighbourhood is an endlessly replayable record.

El Truento – aka Christopher Martin James – continues his exploration of dub music on his latest album, a welcome companion piece to his 2019 release, Peace Maker Dub.

The tracks on Dubs From the Neighbourhood are filled with a genuine warmth that can only be felt when their creator is both a scholar and a superfan of the genre he’s honouring. You’ll be wanting to visit El Truento’s neighbourhood for some wonderfully wobbly dub music again and again.

Aotearoa has a country superstar on its hands.

The Canterbury-born singer-songwriter rightly featured in our Future of Music series this year, our pick of Australian and New Zealand artists we think are primed for a global breakout moment, although Bell’s already broke into the US in a major way.

“With a CMA Global Award and US Billboard Country Charts success under her belt, her latest album, Nights Like This, was the cherry on top of her most triumphant career period yet,” we wrote.

“After winning the Toyota Star Maker award in Australia in 2013 (making her the first New Zealand-born artist to win since the one and only Keith Urban in 1990), Bell has taken her time to get to the top. Now she’s here, don’t expect her to leave anytime soon.”

In our 2024 Scene Report from Christchurch, we spoke to Will McGillivray, a prolific local producer and singer-songwriter, who compared his hometown to Antarctica and LA, noting, “we’re kind of in the middle of nowhere.”

“But I really love that, the feeling like we’re tucked away and not in the limelight,” he said.

Formerly of local pop band Nomad, who were nominated for Breakthrough Artist of the Year at the 2016 NZ Music Awards, McGillivray has found his true musical calling as Goodwill, a lo-fi project born out of McGillivray hunkering down in his hometown, sharpening his production skills and sourcing the music he really wants to make.

His debut album as Goodwill, Kind Hands, is a quiet wonder of a record, a lo-fi gem that’s also pristinely polished in the most exhilarating of ways.

Where his 2022 EP, Incontrol, was, he openly admits, “pretty heavy-handed on the angst,” he aimed to suffuse his new music’s still-moody palette with stronger tinges of hope and optimism.

Similarities between Goodwill and Alex G are immediately apparent: like the Philadelphia lo-fi lord’s early output, McGillivray recorded, produced, and performed all instruments for the album on his own, and both artists straddle a fine line between sonic weirdness and lyrical sincerity. (Album highlight “Plans” has audible notes of Alex G’s beautiful song “Hope,” with its motoring rhythm and melancholy air.)

Listening to Kind Hands, it’s easy to see why McGillivray is making a name for himself as a producer, and why his debut album took so long to come to fruition. There’s a serious production talent controlling this album, from the mournful “Kalm Hands” to “I Will Never Let You Down,” the warm closing track. That McGillivray also worked on Mousey’s latest album, which features in our top 50, speaks to his innate skills.

The joy of a supportive, self-supporting music community like Christchurch is that it produces artists like Goodwill and albums like Kind Hands.

It felt fitting that Georgia Lines was asked to support Brooke Fraser at the Sydney Opera House Forecourt earlier this month, a passing of the torch between Fraser and New Zealand’s next premier pop balladeer. (It’s no coincidence that Fraser is one of Lines’ musical heroes.)

And The Rose of Jericho contains many tracks Fraser herself would be proud to call her own. We praised Lines’ debut album for sounding “so raw and delicate that you immediately feel the heartache which had to be overcome to make it.”

“With songs about the dichotomy of a life well lived (‘Grand Illusion’), mourning what could have been (‘Not by Your Side’ ft. Teeks), and all the wished-for-words left unsaid (‘The Letter’), it’s any wonder she is one of the most exciting songwriters to come out of Aotearoa in recent memory,” our review stated.

“Make no mistake, the record leans into piano-driven R&B and indie-pop, but with so much imagery and truth in each song, it sits in a room of its own. The Rose of Jericho captures the internal struggle we all feel at some point – that’s the magic of Georgia Lines.”

The New Zealand indie music songbook has a new entry.

James Sullivan marked himself out as a slacker rock artist of note on In the Marigolds (2022), his first release as Jim Nothing, but his talent all comes together cohesively on his latest album. Whether he’s mellowing out in the blissful “Easter at the RSC”, or speeding through the rockier “Raleigh Arena”, there’s a clear vision here.

Make no mistake, Grey Eyes, Grey Lynn is a very New Zealand record.

As the title betrays, Sullivan lovingly describes the suburban scenes of his Grey Lynn neighbourhood, and the sense of place he conjures is striking. After listening to these tracks, you’ll want to take a sun-lit stroll through Grey Lynn Park, or people watch outside a bar on Richmond Road, or even, as “Easter at the RSC” brings to colourful life, while away weekend hours in the RSC, watching “old timers try their luck at the TAB.”

As Jim Nothing, Sullivan possesses a Lenderman-esque relatability, writing about Kiwi characters with care and precision. The history of New Zealand indie rock is upheld by normal people with extraordinary musical talent, and Sullivan is just the most recent example.

Sometimes it’s best to step back as a critic and allow an artist describe their own art. According to Holly Arrowsmith, performing live is like “being together in a little shelter from the outside world where music is all we have to think about for a few blissful hours.“

What else can be left to say? I’ll give it a go.

On Blue Dreams, her third album, Arrowsmith sounds just as close and soothing as she would at a show. The Christchurch-based singer-songwriter started recording Blue Dreams when she was seven months pregnant, so it’s no surprise that it’s suffused with weighty themes: life and death, faith and doubt, as well as conflicting emotions like despair and hopefulness.

Going through a pregnancy, both a deeply personal and innately universal experience, Arrowsmith courageously offers all of herself in these ten tracks, darkly capturing her transition into motherhood. Despite the upheaval of that time in her life, Arrowsmith often sings with a confronting serenity on Blue Dreams, as if these songs were recorded in retrospect, only yesterday, in the soothing glow of hindsight.

Blue Dreams is perhaps most notable for “Desert Dove,” a standout track that earned Arrowsmith her second APRA Country Music Song of the Year win. “Desert Dove” is a track typical of Arrowsmith, a mixture of dreamy flourishes and sombre realism.

What Arrowsmith’s album showcases above all else is a profound sense of care. There is care in the construction, Blue Dreams being split into two halves, one basking in energetic Americana, the other adhering to more traditional country and folk compositions; there is care in the cover artwork, a cyanotype of her Grandmother’s bucking horse brooch designed by her husband; and there is care, of course, in the songwriting, which is vulnerable and brave and thoughtful and distinct. 

JessB’s debut album opens with “Power”, a collaboration with Sampa the Great and dancehall reggae legend Sister Nancy. A lesser artist would perhaps have crumbled under the pressure of beginning their first record like that, but JessB more than holds her own.

The message behind “Power” is clear: JessB knows she belongs in such esteemed company, and she wants us to know it too.

The Auckland-based rapper and artist did everything but release a debut album over the past several years. She worked with international stars like Doja Cat, Sweetie, and G Flip, and shared stages with Genesis Owusu, Kehlani, and so many more big names. She co-founded a vital queer-friendly club space in Auckland, earned praise for her distinct fashion style and blistering singles, and appeared at notable festivals like Laneway and SXSW.

When Feels Like Home finally arrived this winter, it proved to be the debut album JessB was always capable of making. “Power” is a highlight among many highlights, from the slinky “Hold Me Down” to the supreme Gold Fang collaboration “Ring Ring”.

Rarely has an artist come into their debut album with such an extensive resumé behind them, which is why Feels Like Home often feels and sounds like a third or fourth album. JessB is just that good.

“Feels Like Home sounds global, an exportable collection ready to take JessB far from home base,” we praised in a positive review earlier this year.

While discussing his new album, MOKOTRON had a pensive thought: “2024 was the year that Māori electronic music came to the fore – is this the start of something or the end?”

Listening to WAEREA, there’s simply no way that this is the culmination of anything.

MOKOTRON is the moniker of Auckland-based Māori producer and academic Tiopira McDowell, who explores his Indigenous identity and more in bass-heavy electronic music. On WAEREA, his vision is informed by the past but his sound faces the future.

These tracks are electronic production par excellence. “To be honest, I’ve always had a vision of how this project should sound,” McDowell said. “Karakia, tauparapara, bars – like whaikōrero flows, puoro, 97 Techstep darkstyle strings and bass, angular breaks, subterranean bass drops, 134 – 140BPM, DnB on Lean – DnBLean.

“I finally got the MOKOTRON sound on the tune ‘KŌKIRI’, the album opener. So for me, the MOKOTRON kaupapa is finally about to start.”

“KŌKIRI” hits hard, and then the rest of WAEREA hits even harder. As McDowell told RNZ, he makes music as an outlet for his thoughts, choosing not to keep everything bottled up inside. And one doesn’t need to understand the language of these tracks to be affected by the waves of emotion, the force of feeling behind them.

MOKOTRON’s truly Aotearoa electronic sound overwhelms on record, but it’s even better in person. That’s why the artist has developed such a strong reputation in Tāmaki Makaurau’s live music scene. So put on WAEREA, be overwhelmed by MOKOTRON’s Māori Bass, but make sure you catch him playing this album live.

There’s no way that MOKOTRON won’t be a serious contender at next year’s Taite Music Prize and Aotearoa Music Awards. WAEREA, a self-admitted “major life goal” of McDowell’s, is a mighty album.

In 2017, Fazerdaze seemed primed to be New Zealand’s next breakout global success thanks to her acclaimed debut album, Morningide.

Then she disappeared from the spotlight. Fans were left to wonder what had happened to the indie-pop artist, hoping that she’d eventually return with new music. A strong stop-gap EP, Break!, was shared in 2022, satiating her fervent fanbase until her second album finally arrived this year.

The strengths and highlights of Soft Power are so many that fans would be forgiven for selfishly wishing this album had been released much sooner, but Fazerdaze wasn’t ready to give a record like Soft Power to the world back then.

The longer wait has only benefited her comeback album, which signals an exciting new chapter in her life and career.

“[…] the Aotearoa artist broadens her lush sonic palette with heavier synths, electronics, and scuzzy rock touches, pushing the boundaries of her indie pop while retaining the raw intimacy that defined her quietly brilliant earlier work,” we praised in a four-star review.

“In ‘A Thousand Years’, she confronts the passage of time, feeling “caught between the cracks.” She faces new experiences and personal growth while pulling away from a significant relationship in ‘Bigger’, and deals with the loss of youth in ‘Cherry Pie’.

“It’s this delicate yet powerful balance of grappling with intense change — ultimately seeking compassion for herself — interwoven with her expanded “bedroom stadium” sound that allows Soft Power to strike with gentle force, like the warm glow of sunlight breaking through after a long, dark night, recharging your spirit and lighting the way forward.”

Soft Power would have topped our list based on the merits of the music alone, but it’s the story behind the album that means it was the only choice for #1. The passing of time is unforgiving for artists, particularly female pop artists, so for Fazerdaze to return with such an accomplished, uncompromising album is a testament to her talent. New Zealand is lucky to have her back.

Read Fazerdaze’s recent Rolling Stone AU/NZ profile feature here.