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.”