New Music 02/10
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RENÉE — Comfortable
Auckland artist RENÉE returns with Comfortable, a contemporary R&B and dance-pop single about the uneasy process of letting someone in and learning to trust someone while still trying to protect yourself. Produced and co-written with Spencer Coyle, the track combines soulful songwriting and rhythmic production with RENÉE’s glossy, breathy vocals, moving between intimate verses and a more groove-driven sound. Following her debut EP DISCLOSURE, Comfortable continues her blend of contemporary R&B, neo-soul and dance-pop, drawing on influences including Jorja Smith, Olivia Dean and Kaytranada.
You can read my interview with RENÉE here.
Niki Kennedy — The Space In Between (ALBUM)
Born and raised in Tāmaki Makaurau and now based in Toronto, award-winning Pasifika singer-songwriter Niki Kennedy blends roots and soul with warm grooves, emotional melodies and honest storytelling. Her new album THE SPACE IN BETWEEN explores home, identity and belonging through culture, nature and story, bringing Polynesian elements into contemporary roots music. Self-produced across two years of exploration and experimentation, the album reflects Kennedy’s process of finding her artistic voice and creating music outside the expectations and constraints she had previously placed on herself.
The world is against you — Patron Saint (ALBUM)
Pōneke post-gaze four-piece The world is against you (TWIAY) are set to release their debut album Patron Saint, pushing further into the experimental and abrasive side of shoegaze and alternative rock. Following the release of Skyrim iii, the album captures the band’s evolving sound across a collection of tracks that move further from their earlier material. Patron Saint arrives alongside TWIAY’s upcoming Australian and Aotearoa tour under Sore Horse And Glasshead.
You can read my interview with TWIAY here.
MESSIE — ZONE THREE (EP)
Pōneke DJ and producer MESSIE, aka Tessa Hills, returns with her new EP Zone Three, featuring collaborations with 0121, Salome Gvetadze, Juni and sbk. Known for high-energy sets that move between garage, breakbeat, jungle, baile funk, ghetto tech, Jersey club and other global club sounds, MESSIE has built a growing profile through shows across Aotearoa and overseas, including a recent appearance at Boomtown in the UK. Zone Three continues her genre-blurring approach, bringing together a mix of club sounds and collaborators for her latest release.
Flax — Barricades
Auckland alternative rock five-piece Flax, formerly known as Flaxxies, return with Barricades, the first taste of their forthcoming EP Teething. Formed in 2019, the band built a reputation through years of touring Aotearoa with soulful, high-energy live shows before stepping away from the stage to write and record their new project. Barricades sees Flax leaning into a straightforward rock and roll sound, drawing on the frustrations of everyday life, the state of the world and the experiences of those around them.
Reb Fountain — Swarm
Reb Fountain has released a new music video for Swarm, one of the more delicate and affecting tracks from her latest album Water for Gasoline. Written in a hammock in her backyard and recorded in her home studio, the song now gets a beautifully restrained visual directed by Reb’s daughter Lola Fountain-Best and filmed on camcorder at Reb’s home, featuring Taco Fuente the cat and Huey Lewis the dog. Swarm follows the release of Water for Gasoline, which debuted at No. 1 on the NZ Top 20 Album Chart, with Reb now set to take the album on tour across Aotearoa throughout October.
Lee Connor — People Pleaser
Auckland artist Lee Connor returns with People Pleaser, her first new release in nearly a year and a half. Written and arranged by Helena O’Connor and produced by Aubrie Mitchell, the track is catchy and danceable on the surface while exploring the pressure to impress others and the reliance on validation from those around us. Recorded at Big Fan and Golden Age Studios in Auckland, People Pleaser balances its light-hearted sound with a more vulnerable look at people-pleasing and self-doubt.
Sunset Tsunami — Race The Sun
British/Kiwi electronic duo Sunset Tsunami, based on Sydney’s Northern Beaches, return with Race The Sun, the third single from their forthcoming second album. Following Chillaxin’ With Cherry and Lemon Drops, the duo blend downtempo electronics, live instrumentation and laid-back soul influences, with jazz-inflected guitar, soulful vocal samples and a relaxed groove. The track offers another glimpse into their upcoming album, which continues their exploration of lounge, soul, dub and beat-driven music.
Charisma Club — That Feeling (EP)
Auckland alternative pop project Charisma Club return with their second EP That Feeling, a five-track release exploring nostalgia, growing up, relationships, technology and finding a sense of place as circumstances change. The EP blends synths, bass-driven production and pop arrangements with more stripped-back textures, touching on heartbreak, disconnection and the impact of technology on communication. Following growing attention in New Zealand and overseas, including NZ On Air New Tracks selection and Spotify editorial playlist features for Your Love, That Feeling brings together That Feeling, Tether, Technophobe, Better on Your Own and Your Love.
Hester Ullyart — Fast Romance
Ōtautahi multidisciplinary artist Hester Ullyart has released Fast Romance, the lead single from her upcoming debut album The All Clear. Blending spoken word, sung narratives, pop, ambience and choral elements, the album was recorded live with an ensemble of Christchurch musicians including Reuben Derrick, Joseph McCallum, Hannah Everingham and Nicole Reddington. Fast Romance offers a lively introduction to the project, with Ullyart’s poetic songwriting exploring love, resilience and the messy process of letting go.
yosavius — Lose Myself In You / Hurt, I'm Hurting
Wellington-based artist yosavius begins the rollout for his new album with two new songs, Lose Myself In You and Hurt, I'm Hurting, moving further into a dreamy alternative R&B sound. The 21-year-old Aotearoa artist has previously explored genres including emo rap and alt rock, with his earlier releases including the album Unsatisfactory and the single Eternity. Lose Myself In You explores the confusion that comes with putting someone else before yourself, written for those who have put more into a relationship than they ever got back.
Bunchy's Big Score — Magnet
Ōtepoti art rock group Bunchy’s Big Score return with Magnet, the first single from their upcoming Good Friends EP. Following their second album Wanda’s Bicycle, the new track continues the band’s mix of noisy guitars, driving rhythms and more reflective songwriting, with lyrics centred around distance, isolation and feeling pulled away from where you want to be. Recorded at Southlink Studios with Nick Roughan, Magnet was mixed by Hamish Waddell and mastered by Steve McGough and Hamish Waddell.
Robert Glen & The Inversion — Robert Glen & The Inversion (ALBUM)
Originally from Dundee, Scotland and now based in Wānaka, Robert Glen is a singer, songwriter and guitarist whose music is rooted in the blues, with influences from British 90s alternative and indie alongside the guitar-driven sounds of the 60s and 70s. After years of performing professionally in New Zealand, Glen has turned his focus towards his own original music with his debut album Robert Glen & The Inversion. The introspective record explores growth, healing, love and loss, moving between different sounds and influences while maintaining a bluesy, guitar-driven foundation.
Kenape Saupese — Do what you want
Kenape Saupese returns with his latest single Do What You Want, bringing smooth, soulful vocals and feel-good rhythms to his latest solo chapter. Best known as the former lead singer of reggae/pop collective Tomorrow People, Kenape spent more than a decade performing across Aotearoa before stepping into his own music following a period focused on family and youth music mentoring. Do What You Want is a flirtatious, upbeat track built around attraction, confidence and letting someone follow their own instincts.
A.R.T, MITI — Die From A Broken Heart
Wellington harmony trio A.R.T return with Die From A Broken Heart, a country-tinged collaboration with Tiana Miti of award-winning Wellington band MITI. The track began after an acoustic performance of the Maddie & Tae classic went viral online, prompting the trio to take their version into the studio and turn it into an official release. Bringing their harmony-driven sound to the song alongside Tiana’s vocals, Die From A Broken Heart gives the country heartbreak favourite a stripped-back Aotearoa twist, continuing A.R.T’s First Thursdays campaign of releasing new music on the first Thursday of each month throughout 2026.
Black Comet — Over & Out
Black Comet return with Over & Out, a groove-led rock track that brings a heavier edge to their blend of funk, rock, soul and psychedelia. Led by Laughton Kora, the band have built their sound across their 2024 debut EPISODE 1: LOOKING FOR A NEW PLANET and 2025 follow-up EPISODE TWO: THE FORCE BETWEEN US, shifting between different influences while keeping the groove at the centre. Inspired by 90s guitar tones and the energy of Queens of the Stone Age and Rage Against the Machine, Over & Out is about being sick of waiting around and wanting to get things done.
Castaway — Golden Era
Ōtautahi pop-rock five-piece Castaway return with Golden Era, the final single from their upcoming debut album. Following recent releases Heart Attack and Reasons To Stay, the track blends driving guitars, shimmering synths, punchy rhythms and dual vocals into an infectious indie pop anthem about the freedom and excitement of being young. After forming through university jam sessions and opening for Six60 and Synthony at One NZ Stadium, Castaway continue their run towards their debut album with a nostalgic track that looks back on the moments that felt like they could last forever.
Sophie-Maude — Be Something
Tauranga-based pop artist Sophie-Maude returns with Be Something, her second release of the year following Hotel Lobby. Written about the flirty and fleeting feeling of a summer fling, the track blends youthful nostalgia and playful energy with Sophie-Maude’s vocal range and storytelling, while marking a shift towards a more grounded sound as she grows into a new stage of her life. Co-written with Nic Martin of Devilskin and produced by Nathan Sowter, Be Something was written and recorded in Mount Maunganui, drawing on long summer days and nights out in the city.
hexxer — mezdalorani (EP)
Originally from Ōtautahi and now based in Te Whanganui-a-Tara, hexxer is the solo alternative-rock project of New Zealand musician Samuel Butler. Since beginning the project in 2024, Butler has released four singles and become part of Wellington’s independent music scene, with a live lineup featuring Hayden Lam, Max Ware and Moses Buda. His new EP mezdalorani brings together alternative rock, experimental songwriting and jazz-influenced elements, with songs exploring themes including war, love and addiction, all written, recorded, mixed and mastered by Butler.
Brendan John Roch — Election Year (EP)
Ōtepoti-raised rapper Brendan John Roch follows his recent full-length GOD DEFEND with the five-track EP Election Year, a literary political rap record exploring contemporary politics, culture and the search for hope amid decline. Produced by regular collaborator Mark Murray, the EP combines classical influences with 808s and shifting basslines, while Roch’s dense and abrasive writing moves between the personal, political and spiritual. Lead single Marxist in the Middle offers a sharp critique of the modern left, drawing on Aotearoa’s own political history.
Tom De Plume — Jaywalking
Award-winning producer, songwriter, audio engineer and musician Tom Healy steps into a new musical identity as Tom De Plume, releasing his debut single Jaywalking. The track reflects on the fragile privilege of existence and the question of what we do with the limited time we have, pairing driving bass, tambourine and prominent backing vocals with an energetic sense of urgency. Jaywalking offers the first glimpse into Tom De Plume’s own musical world, with a single-release show at Goblin in Auckland also set to celebrate the release.
Vada Swan — All About ME
Following her debut single Ooh La La, Vada Swan returns with All About Me, a bold breakup track blending hip-hop influence with her own style. Written during a difficult breakup in December 2025, the song pairs sharp lyrics with an energetic beat, turning raw emotion into a confident release with plenty of attitude. Produced by CXV and recorded in a home studio, All About Me marks the next step in Vada Swan’s growing catalogue.
