New Music 04/09
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 Jo, Juna, BEX and LETOA, alongside plenty more.
Are you a Kiwi artist with a new song coming out? Send me a message at ryanfromroots@gmail.com to get a feature!
Dillon Jo — Vertigo
Wellington alt-rock outfit Dillon Jo are stepping into a heavier sound with Vertigo, the latest preview of their forthcoming debut album Guard Dog. Blending alternative rock, shoegaze and dreamy vocals, the track captures the spiralling thoughts, anxiety and dissociation that follow a severe drug experience, gradually building before erupting into a cathartic wall of sound. Since forming in 2025, Dillon Jo have quickly made their mark around Aotearoa, opening for artists including The Rions, Foley, Borderline and Coast Arcade, while building a growing catalogue of independently released music.
You can read my interview with Dillon Jo here.
Evie Bamford — Now Rising, Now Falling (EP)
Auckland indie-rock artist Evie Bamford is set to release her debut EP Now Rising, Now Falling, a six-track collection documenting the emotional push and pull of moving into her mid-20s. Blending indie rock with her background in jazz and classical music, Bamford explores anxiety, self-worth, relationships and resilience through intricate arrangements featuring guitar, keys, bass and drums alongside clarinet, cello, trumpet and synths. The EP’s focus track Your Girl brings the project full circle as a dreamy, nostalgic love song, shifting the uncertainty of its opening track into something more hopeful.
Juna — missing you (all the time)
Wellington pop-rock four-piece Juna have quickly built a following since forming, with over 20,000 social media followers, nearly 50,000 streams on their debut single Say So Little, and support slots alongside artists including Borderline and Lily Linscott. Their new single missing you (all of the time) is a vibrant pop ballad about the aftermath of a first heartbreak, exploring the conflicting feeling of missing someone while knowing that being apart is ultimately better for both people. Inspired by drummer Hayden Lam’s past relationship and developed alongside songwriter Nyjah Antony, the track is the latest preview of Juna’s debut EP, which explores the highs and struggles of growing up as a teenager today.
You can read my interview with Juna here.
Raw Collective, Iharaira Starr — Tables Turned
Pōneke eight-piece Raw Collective return with Tables Turned, the second single from their forthcoming fourth album. Featuring acclaimed reggae artist Iharaira Starr, the track blends reggae, hip-hop and soul with the tight grooves and live horns that have become a signature of the Wellington outfit. Nearly a decade in the making, the collaboration brings together years of friendship and musical ideas, with Tables Turned exploring patience and the feeling of finally seeing hard work pay off.
BEX — Reply i i i
BEX continues the run-up to her debut project MAKE IT LOUDER with Reply i i i, the penultimate track from the upcoming project. Produced by Caleb Wong, the track sees BEX channelling her inner pop baddie for a straight-up high-energy release, adding another punchy entry to the electronic pop sound she has been building across recent releases including The View, I luv my boy and Make It Louder.
Sophie Aston — Indigo
Originally from Birmingham, UK, and now based on Waiheke Island, Sophie Aston is an alt-rock and alt-pop singer-songwriter known for reflective lyricism and atmospheric production, drawing inspiration from artists including Alanis Morissette, Florence & the Machine and Wolf Alice. Following her previous singles Better and Stardust, Aston now completes her initial single trilogy with Indigo, a dark, cinematic track exploring the weight of the modern news cycle, digital fatigue and emotional burnout. Written on Waiheke Island and produced, mixed and mastered by New Zealand producer and engineer Scott Seabright, the song builds from a haunting guitar motif into a heavy, cathartic crescendo, laying the groundwork for Aston’s upcoming debut EP.
Katelyn Henshall — A lil somethin' somethin (EP)
Wellington-based jazz/R&B singer-songwriter Katelyn Henshall brings introspective, poetic lyrics together with tight and rhythmic instrumentation, with a voice described as perfectly suited for a whiskey lounge. Originally performing as a solo act, Henshall teamed up with Dónal Gunning on bass, Angus Webb on guitar and Oliver Dudziak on drums in 2025 to reimagine her original songs as a full band, with Tane James later taking over guitar duties following Webb’s move to the UK. The group now arrive with their debut EP A lil somethin’ somethin’, a tasting tray of the genres Henshall is passionate about that features refined versions of her solo work alongside the new track Nothing lasts forever (de verano), drawing on influences including Hayley Williams, Parcels and Olivia Dean.
Emily Bateman — Velvet & Leather
Auckland alternative pop artist Emily Bateman brings honest, introspective songwriting to her music, exploring interpersonal dynamics and self-image through a punchy sound built around hooks that stick with you. Having built momentum in the Auckland music scene through editorial playlist support from Spotify and Apple Music, NZ On Air single funding, opening slots for Georgia Lines, CAITLIN, There’s a Tuesday and emerson, and co-writes with artists including Heidi Simpson and Jessica Leigh, Bateman is now preparing her upcoming full-length project. Her latest single Velvet & Leather, the third track from the project, takes a darker and more haunting turn, pairing Emily’s vocals with acoustic guitar and dramatic electronic drums reminiscent of Massive Attack’s Teardrop, while exploring a cyclical romantic dynamic that feels impossible to escape even when it probably should.
VÏKAE — WELCOME TO THE END OF THE WORLD
Ukrainian-born, Aotearoa-based artist VÏKAE is a dark pop singer-songwriter who has been independently releasing music for around six years, building a career that has taken her from intimate songwriter circles to festivals including Bay Dreams, Mardi Gras, Soundsplash, AUM and Big Gay Out, as well as a headline show at Out Loud earlier this year. Her 2020 EP FINELINES reached #5 on the Official New Zealand Music Charts, while her single SWIPE RIGHT was picked by Rolling Stone Australia/New Zealand as one of their Best Releases of the Week. Now, VÏKAE enters a new chapter with WELCOME TO THE END OF THE WORLD, the title track from her upcoming seven-song EP, a dark and cinematic pop track exploring the feeling of living through multiple endings at once, with the wider record delving into war, technology, power, Ukrainian identity and queer survival across English, Ukrainian and Russian.
Andy Smith — You're Never Coming Home
Auckland-based musician Andy Smith is a long-time participant in the New Zealand music scene, drawing on sunshine-soaked 70s psychedelia and alternative rock to explore themes of grief, identity and love. His recently released album 10 years was entirely self-recorded and produced, with six years of work going into a record that reflects Smith’s persistent DIY approach and connection to making music. The album’s new single You’re Never Coming Home is accompanied by a playful music video filmed in Dairy Flat, Auckland, featuring a retro Volkswagen Beetle and a series of events playing out on repeat, while the song itself combines reflective lyrics, warm guitars, psychedelic touches and a recurring harmonica riff to explore the routines that can form around loss.
Charisma Club — Better on your own
Auckland alternative pop project Charisma Club blends warm guitars, pop-country textures and emotionally charged songwriting, stepping away from his usual electronic production for the more stripped-back Better On Your Own. Following the release of his debut EP Graduate and a recent topline songwriting credit on Kiwi DJ Late June’s Pause, Charisma Club has also seen Your Love picked up by NZ On Air’s New Tracks and Spotify editorial playlists including Fresh Finds AU & NZ, Indie Arrivals and hits different. His latest single explores the experience of losing yourself in a relationship, pairing an upbeat, melodic sound with a more personal reflection on dependency, letting go and recognising when walking away is the healthiest choice.
BB & The Bullets — Freak Show
New Zealand blues-rock trio BB & The Bullets have built a reputation for blistering live performances and relentless touring, with guitarist and vocalist Brian Baker, bassist Stu “The Glue” Duncan and drummer Brad MacMillan at the helm. Their debut album High Tide made a strong impact internationally, reaching #12 on the Aotearoa Music Charts, #5 on the IMNZ Independent Music NZ Chart and #1 on the Roots Music Report’s Australian Album Chart for 20 weeks, while the band recently signed with Memphis label Overton Music. Their latest single Freak Show comes from their sophomore album Wrong Side Of The River, which reached #4 on the Aotearoa Music Charts, with the track bringing a two-step blues feel, catchy pub-rock energy and a touch of Frank Zappa weirdness to a song the band says has become a highlight of their live set.
Vicious Villain — MAIN CHARACTER
Auckland-based rapper Vicious Villain, originally from Palmerston North, brings a raw underground style to dark boom-bap and horrorcore, with a history of pushing against mainstream expectations. His earlier work includes the Palmy video featuring YS, which caused a stir in his hometown, as well as the Creepy Crawl and Off The Chain music videos and his 2013 debut album A Cause for Concern, alongside a brief stint in the New Zealand battle scene that included a promo battle with Hegz. Now, Vicious Villain returns with MAIN CHARACTER, a dark comeback track serving as the lead single for his upcoming V2K project.
A.R.T — Look At Me
Wellington trio A.R.T are riding a standout 2026, following their Best Group win at the Pacific Music Awards with their latest single Look At Me. Co-written with Sammy Johnson and produced by The Ikonics, the track returns to the R&B-meets-reggae sound of their standout single Over Now, pairing warm reggae-influenced production and A.R.T’s signature three-part harmonies with a story of mixed signals, broken promises and the frustration of a relationship caught between real feelings and a lack of commitment. Look At Me is the latest release in A.R.T’s First Thursdays campaign, with the trio continuing to put out new music every month throughout 2026 while exploring new sounds and collaborations.
Moondog Blues — In Me
Northland-based blues and roots musician Moondog Blues brings a gritty, raw style to his music, combining homemade biscuit-tin guitars, harmonica, foot-stomping rhythm and a distinctive freight-train voice into his own blend of blues, rock ’n’ roll and Voodoo-infused “Blues-A-Billy”. With a career stretching back to the 1970s and more than eight albums released since 2000, Moondog has continued to record and perform across Aotearoa and Australia in solo, duo and trio formats. His latest single In Me adds to a run of recent releases including the albums Little Bitter Blues and 6:36, continuing the long-running musician’s commitment to raw, live-sounding blues.
LETOA, MELODOWNZ, Lames — RAGE QUIT (MELO REMIX)
Samoan Australian artist Letoa is an award-winning New Zealand-based rapper and early pioneer of the Aesthetic Rap movement, blending Pacific identity with a forward-thinking approach to hip hop. Following his Arch Angel Independence Award win at the 2026 Pacific Music Awards and more than 300 million streams, Letoa returns with RAGE QUIT (MELO REMIX), a reimagining of his collaboration with Lames that brings Auckland artist MELODOWNZ into the mix. Built around punchy drums, infectious bounce and Memphis phonk and trap influences, the remix keeps the energy of the original intact while marking a full-circle collaboration for Letoa with an artist who inspired him early in his career.
