New Zealand metal band Beastwars return with their first single since singer Matt Hyde successfully underwent 6 months of treatment for Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma in 2016. ‘Omens’ comes from their new LP IV, due out on Friday June 28th. Hyde said that through his diagnosis and subsequent treatment, he was given an opportunity to look into the abyss beyond life as we know it. “Throughout the treatment … Continue reading NEW MUSIC: Beastwars– Omens
Wax Chattels from Auckland, NZ have released the first single from their self-titled debut LP, set for release on May 18th via Flying Nun Records and Captured Tracks. ‘Career’ is a dark and ominous slow building track that conjures up images of fried circuit boards and ghostly monks in a post-punk landscape where sonic stabs pierce the gloom and deadpan vocals are the calm before … Continue reading NEW MUSIC: Wax Chattels – Career
Nocturnal Projections were one of the finest post-punk bands in New Zealand in the early 1980s and now Dais Records have worked with them to reissue all of their recorded work across two releases. “Complete Studio Recordings” comprises the band’s three original highly sought-after vinyl releases on one record fully remastered. Formed in Stratford, near New Plymouth, New Zealand in 1981, Nocturnal Projections was the … Continue reading REISSUE NEWS: Nocturnal Projections (2018)
Aucklander Edward Castelow has unveiled a new pop-tastic sound with the first single from his new EP due out next month. The video has been floating around the internet for a few months now but it’s worth revisiting or checking out for the first time if you haven’t seen/heard it. In the past Edward has written in more of an indie/alt-pop style, more similar to … Continue reading VIDEO: Dictaphone Blues – Bully
New Zealand rock unit The Terminals have been operating under various iterations for 30 years and at the band’s core, Stephen Cogle and Peter Stapleton (with Mick El Borado) have kept the ship on course and sailing a straight line into dark and swirling post punk and psych-laden garage rock. Antiseptic finds the band on top of their game once more. If anything their music … Continue reading ALBUM REVIEW: The Terminals – Antiseptic
Three years on from their debut Ages, Ghost Wave sound a wholly more authentic and lived-in proposition. Ages sounded like the sum of its influences (UK indie, Krautrock, NZ 80s alt-guitar pop) and they mastered them exceedingly well, but Radio Norfolk takes those sounds further and deeper, co-mingling and cross-pollinating with more sonic grit and subtlety. Psychedelia has permeated music strongly in recent years, much … Continue reading ALBUM REVIEW: Ghost Wave – Radio Norfolk
One of New Zealand’s finest polymorphic, dubbed out and skanking rock ‘n’ roll bands Hallelujah Picassos will release their new single ‘Dirty Suits’ this Friday, Dec 9th. It follows their earlier EP The Bullet That Breaks The Key. Continue reading NEW MUSIC: Hallelujah Picassos – Dirty Suits
Show Me Where It Hurts are a Rhodes electric piano, drums and vocals duo from Auckland, New Zealand. Both musicians have been key players on the Auckland scene for the last two decades with Josh Hetherington fronting Thorazine Shuffle and Ronny Haynes drumming with bands such as Pash and Fagan And The People. The pair have just released their debut self-titled EP (stream/buy below) which follows … Continue reading SONIC KICKS: Show Me Where It Hurts
Sere hit the ground running on their debut self-titled release. It’s a three track EP but it could easily be considered a mini album with its 24 minute runtime and the varied terrain they cover. The doom quota is high from the Auckland quartet yet never in a super-serious, studied manner. These guys can hammer down but they also show a desire to expand the … Continue reading EP REVIEW: Sere – Sere
Auckland band Trust Punks return with their sophomore album and in the process they’ve tightened their sound, ratcheted up the tension and broadened their interpretation of post-punk. On 2014’s Discipline they mixed jangling guitars and sparkling, ramshackle melodies and, though those are still a key part of the mix, they’ve now emboldened their sound with a brasher rhythmic attack while bringing in seemingly contradictory sounds … Continue reading ALBUM REVIEW: Trust Punks – Double Bind
Rough Church is the moniker of Los Angeles-based musician Greg Franco and he’s releasing his new album Shhhh this month on the Auckland, NZ label Powertool Records. The other strong NZ connection is that Franco recorded the album with Tom Bell at Chick’s Hotel in Port Chalmers. He was also able to use the talents of two of the country’s most influential musicians in David Kilgour (The Clean) … Continue reading NEWS: Rough Church Announce New Album and NZ/AU Tour
It’s only been two years since the release of Blackbird, making this a quick follow-up in the world of Fat Freddy’s Drop. The reassuring thing about the Wellington band is that as their stock has risen they haven’t compromised their musical approach by shortening songs or devolving them to standard structures in the pursuit of hit singles. They continue as they left off on the … Continue reading ALBUM REVIEW: Fat Freddy’s Drop – Bays
Doubtful Sounds 