News
This week we’ve got new music from across Aotearoa, with fresh releases spanning dream pop, indie, alternative R&B, soul, hip-hop, electronic and pop. There are new EPs from artists including Sabreen, Jordan Hunter Hyland, CHARIS and Vicious Villain, alongside singles from Echomatica, Julia Belle, Lucy Gray,
Interviews
Pōneke duo Holding Daisies are Trent Wallace and Kale Hamilton, two Massey University students currently finishing their Bachelor of Commercial Music. The pair started working on the project while playing together in Molipane, wanting to explore a different sound from their other band and draw on their shared love of
Interviews
South African-born, New Zealand-raised artist Furo 4404 has already performed in front of crowds of more than 20,000 people, sold out shows across Auckland and built a sound that draws from hip-hop, Afrobeats, house and pop. With Zimbabwean roots and a childhood split between South Africa
News
It’s been a busy week for Aotearoa music, with Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori giving us another chance to celebrate the role of te reo Māori in our culture and creative spaces. So this week’s New Music Friday is Puoro Hou, bringing together some of the latest
Interviews
Auckland artist BEX (Rebekah Massey) is taking a different direction with her latest project, swapping her usual indie pop-rock sound for electronic, hyper-pop and club music. The six-track EP MAKE IT LOUDER came together quickly this year after BEX and her producer and partner Caleb Wong, aka
News
Are you a Kiwi artist with a new song coming out? Send me a message at ryanfromroots@gmail.com to get a feature! trouble with normal — Are you being served? Christchurch alt-indie three-piece Trouble with Normal have returned to making music after first forming decades ago, reuniting in
Review
28/08/2026, The Welsh Dragon — Words by Tia Cranefield “Scared of the Guitar” $5.00 ticket in hand had me expecting a half assed, crappy sound, cramped pub room kind of a show at the Welsh Dragon on a windswept Friday night. Having missed the instantly iconic nature of
Interviews
Ōtepoti five-piece Ammonita have been carving out their own space in Dunedin’s alternative rock scene, blending grunge, metal, rap and softer alternative sounds into something that’s difficult to put in a single box. Made up of Zoe Eckhoff, Paige Sumner, Ivan Fernandez, Mason O’Connell and Karl
News
Spring has officially sprung, and there’s no shortage of new Kiwi music to soundtrack the start of the season. This week’s roundup moves through everything from heavier alt-rock and dreamy indie to pop, reggae, hip-hop, soul and blues, with new releases from the likes of Dillon
Review
27/08/2026, Theatre Royal Nelson It’s 7:33 p.m. at Nelson’s Theatre Royal, and as a 23-year-old sitting upstairs waiting for Mel Parsons to take the stage, I’m starting to feel like I might be the youngest person in the room. The theatre
Interviews
Pōneke pop-rock four-piece Juna have moved quickly since forming less than a year ago. The band is made up of Queenstown-born guitarist and vocalist Max Horn, 17, Wellington vocalist Hannah Patterson, 18, Christchurch-born drummer Hayden Lam, 20, and bassist Evie Patterson. Together, they have already shared
News
Do you have a new song coming out? Send me a message at ryanfromroots@gmail.com to get a feature! Ms. Mia — Still Here Manila-born, Auckland-based singer-songwriter Ms. Mia creates cinematic contemporary pop that blends expressive vocals, live instrumentation and emotionally honest storytelling, with her previous releases