> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.rootsmag.nz/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # New Music 09/10 - URL: https://www.rootsmag.nz/new-music-09-10/ - Published: 2026-10-08T22:48:37.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-08T22:48:37.000Z - Author: Ryan Brash - Tags: News ## Join our mailing list New Kiwi music, delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. *Are you a Kiwi artist with a new song coming out? Send me a message at* [ryanfromroots@gmail.com](mailto:ryanfromroots@gmail.com) *to get a feature!* ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/82/ae/82ae15cc-791b-45a9-a46a-3900b2eee181/content/images/2026/10/Light-Left-Dim---Cover-Art.jpeg) ## **Where's Jai — *Light Left Dim*** **Where’s Jai** return with *Light Left Dim*, a dark and addictive track exploring the kind of love that slowly becomes consuming. The song looks at obsession, devotion and the blurred line between wanting someone and being controlled by them, pushing further into the band’s evolving sound. Following their debut album *Fresh Out Of Air*, which reached No. 2 on the Official NZ Music Charts, Where’s Jai have continued to build their profile through sold-out headline shows, vinyl sales and more than two million streams for *Perfect Crime* alone. --- ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/82/ae/82ae15cc-791b-45a9-a46a-3900b2eee181/content/images/2026/09/image-20.png) ## **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. --- ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/82/ae/82ae15cc-791b-45a9-a46a-3900b2eee181/content/images/2026/10/Drift_Single_Cover-3000x3000.jpg) ## **Dillon Jo — *Drift*** Wellington-based **Dillon Jo** is the genre-defying project of Betty Smith and Georgie Levien, blending dream pop, shoegaze, alternative rock and indie pop into what they describe as dreamy droppy rock pop. After opening for acts including The Rions, Foley, Wet Denim, Hemi Hemingway, Borderline and Coast Arcade, the project has been building towards their debut album *Guard Dog*, with their latest single *Drift* exploring the feeling of losing someone, missing what you had and wondering if things could return to how they were. Built around hazy guitars and melodic hooks, *Drift* brings a more immediate side of Dillon Jo to the forefront while continuing their dreamy and heavier sound. [*You can read my interview with Dillon Jo here.*](https://www.rootsmag.nz/dillon-jo/) --- ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/82/ae/82ae15cc-791b-45a9-a46a-3900b2eee181/content/images/2026/10/ardie-won-move-back-home.jpg) ## **Ardie Won — *Move Back Home*** **Ardie Won** follows his debut single *Always Been A Winner* with *Move Back Home*, an alt-country track turning his attention from schoolyard battles to the family farm. His debut topped the RadioActive charts for four weeks in a row and picked up support across the Student Radio Network, with Ardie’s music blending genuine storytelling with plenty of absurdity. *Move Back Home* continues that approach with big hooks, humour and a look at the pull of home and the realities of farm life. --- ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/82/ae/82ae15cc-791b-45a9-a46a-3900b2eee181/content/images/2026/10/She-s-not-coming-back---Single-Art.jpg) ## **Emma Rutherford — *She’s not coming back*** Originally from North Canterbury and now based in Wellington, pop artist **Emma Rutherford** returns with *She’s Not Coming Back*, following her 2026 singles *Gracie* and *Losing Sight*. After releasing her debut single *Ghost Town* and completing a Bachelor of Music at Ara Music Arts, Emma has been developing a new sound with producer Toby Lloyd of Tiny Triumph Recordings, exploring themes of change and growth. Alongside her music, Emma recently debuted her original show *In Between The Verses*, combining original music, comedy and storytelling, with plans to take the show on tour across Aotearoa in 2027. --- ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/82/ae/82ae15cc-791b-45a9-a46a-3900b2eee181/content/images/2026/10/Echo-Chamber-single-cover.jpg) ## **Morgan La Fae — *Echo Chamber*** **Morgan La Fae** returns with *Echo Chamber*, the second single from her upcoming dramatic dream-pop EP *Full Immersion*. Following her debut single *Cigarettes and Coffee*, which reached No. 1 on RDU and No. 6 on the Student Radio Network, the new track explores overthinking, self-doubt and the feeling of becoming trapped inside your own thoughts. Written by Morgan and recorded with Ryan Fisherman, Sam White, Frankie Daly, Alice Tanner and Jonathan Tanner, *Echo Chamber* combines dreamy pop textures with darker themes, alongside a music video directed by Paris Baillie that explores the thin line between fantasy and reality. --- ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/82/ae/82ae15cc-791b-45a9-a46a-3900b2eee181/content/images/2026/10/Louis-Baker---Trouble-album-artwork.jpg) ## **Louis Baker — *Trouble (ALBUM)*** Wellington soul artist **Louis Baker** has released his second studio album, *Trouble*, following more than a decade in Aotearoa’s contemporary soul scene. Written, produced and arranged by Baker from his Titahi Bay studio across 2024 and 2025, the nine-track record blends retro-soul influences with contemporary production, featuring contributions from musicians including Cory Champion, Louisa Williamson and Rikki Gooch. The album brings together reflections on grief, community, social consciousness and personal growth, with previous singles *All We Need*, *Trouble* and *Mighty Tree* showcasing its range. Baker will celebrate the release with a nine-date headline tour across Aotearoa in October and November, including solo shows in the South Island and a hometown performance at Meow Nui in Wellington. --- ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/82/ae/82ae15cc-791b-45a9-a46a-3900b2eee181/content/images/2026/10/10-000-Hail-Marys-single-art.jpg) ## **Steph Casey — *10,000 Hail Marys*** Kapiti Coast singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist **Steph Casey** turns up the guitars with *10,000 Hail Marys*, a high-energy single blending grunge and punk-pop. After nearly two decades of writing with an acoustic guitar, Casey switched things up in 2024 by picking up a G&L Telecaster, opening the door to a louder sound inspired by the alternative rock of her twenties. Taking aim at the frustration of being ghosted and left without answers after a breakup, 10,000 Hail Marys is the title track and second single from her forthcoming EP, due out in November. --- ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/82/ae/82ae15cc-791b-45a9-a46a-3900b2eee181/content/images/2026/10/image-5.png) ## **Phoebe Vic — *Mood Swinger (ALBUM)*** Ōtautahi drama-kid-turned pop-diva **Phoebe Vic** is an alt pop artist known for her sharp songwriting, vocal versatility and genre-hopping approach. Her debut album *Mood Swinger*, made over three years alongside producer and APRA Silver Scroll nominee Emily C. Browning, moves between country, club pop and Motown influences, with songs covering divorce, starting over and figuring out who you are in your thirties. The album is being celebrated with a one-off show in Ōtautahi, with tracks including *Mad Woman*, *It’s My Pleasure* and *Slipped Your Mind* showcasing the range of the record. --- ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/82/ae/82ae15cc-791b-45a9-a46a-3900b2eee181/content/images/2026/10/ReceiptsCoverJPG.jpg) ## **Ben Kenny — *Receipts*** Pōneke singer-songwriter **Ben Kenny** brings pop-rock together with influences from artists including Conan Gray, Phoebe Bridgers and Olivia Rodrigo, alongside the sound of Midwestern emo bands such as Mom Jeans and Modern Baseball. His debut release under the Ben Kenny name, *Receipts*, centres on the anger and frustration that follows a breakup, using live-recorded strings, harmonica and falsetto backing vocals to explore the unanswered questions of single life. With a strong visual and lyrical narrative, *Receipts* asks listeners to look back at what was left behind and read the receipts. --- ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/82/ae/82ae15cc-791b-45a9-a46a-3900b2eee181/content/images/2026/10/R-R---SINGLE-COVER.jpg) ## **CONSPYRE — *Razorblades and Reveries*** Hamilton four-piece **CONSPYRE** are a melodic death metal band combining the aggression of 2000s melodeath with elements of thrash, speed metal and blistering power metal solos. Made up of members aged between 17 and 19, the band are building an audience in New Zealand and overseas, with their latest single *Razorblades and Reveries* arriving alongside a self-directed music video. The release has also seen the band pick up new followers, festival opportunities and approaches from promoters. --- ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/82/ae/82ae15cc-791b-45a9-a46a-3900b2eee181/content/images/2026/10/Midwave-Breaks_Vinyl-Cover_3000pxl.jpeg) ## **Midwave Breaks — *Echo. Tide. Awake. (ALBUM)*** Tauranga alt-rock duo **Midwave Breaks** are made up of Paul Russell on drums and Bruce Conlon on vocals, guitar and other instruments, with the pair having known each other since high school and previously forming Auckland rock band Eight. Since launching Midwave Breaks in 2021, they have released nine independent singles that reached the Top 10 of the Radioscope Rock Airplay Chart, opened for Incubus and Live on their 2024 New Zealand stadium tour, and were finalists for Best Rock Act at the 2024 NZ AMAs. Their debut album *Echo. Tide. Awake.* was written, recorded, mixed and mastered by the band themselves in a farmhouse spare room overlooking the Bay of Plenty coastline. --- ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/82/ae/82ae15cc-791b-45a9-a46a-3900b2eee181/content/images/2026/10/dehusslar-music-weight-of-the-world.jpg) ## **DeHusslar Music — *FEEL THE WEIGHT OF THE WORLD*** Waimauku producer and DJ **DeHusslar Music** is an independent electronic artist rooted in New Zealand’s outdoor sound system culture, moving between dubstep, drum and bass, Afro-rhythms and trap/EDM. Following his debut single *II VII V DUB*, which reached #15 on the Hot Aotearoa Singles Chart, and *Mouth 2 Mouth*, which reached #6, he returns with *Feel the Weight of the World*, a mental health-focused track built around the stories of four anonymous global vocalists over a 150 BPM hip-hop and melodic trap production. The single is the third release from his upcoming multi-genre festival album *Watermelon and Dick*, due out in November. --- ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/82/ae/82ae15cc-791b-45a9-a46a-3900b2eee181/content/images/2026/10/awning-little-green-book.jpg) ## **Awning — *Little Green Book*** Tāmaki Makaurau five-piece **Awning** return with *Little Green Book*, their first release since signing to international label Winspear. Following their self-titled 2025 release, the alternative rock band have built a reputation for their emotive songwriting and energetic live shows, blending layered guitars with narrative-driven lyrics. Recorded at Roundhead Studios and produced by De Sevens, *Little Green Book* explores grief through cryptic and layered imagery, with call-and-response guitars and vocals adding to the track’s shifting sound. --- ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/82/ae/82ae15cc-791b-45a9-a46a-3900b2eee181/content/images/2026/10/Floodlights-3000x3000-Sml.jpg) ## **PARK RD — *Floodlights*** Auckland indie-rock band **PARK RD** have shared *Floodlights*, the latest single from their upcoming second studio album *BOYHOOD*. Recorded with producer Jol Mulholland, who previously worked with the band, the track explores wanting the best for someone who is no longer in your life, with the band describing it as a centrepiece of the album that reflects their growth while retaining their familiar sound. *BOYHOOD* is set to be supported by a tour across seven cities in New Zealand and Australia. --- ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/82/ae/82ae15cc-791b-45a9-a46a-3900b2eee181/content/images/2026/10/helpless-fool-song-art.jpg) ## **Killian Ordono, Mikayla Criddle — *helpless fool*** Auckland artist **Killian Ordono** steps into a softer sound with *helpless fool*, a dreamy R&B and alternative-pop collaboration with emerging artist **Mikayla Criddle**. The track explores the feeling of being emotionally stuck on someone, knowing you should move on but still finding yourself unable to let go. *helpless fool* marks the first collaboration between Ordono and Criddle, bringing their contrasting vocal styles together while showing a more intimate side of Ordono’s music. --- ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/82/ae/82ae15cc-791b-45a9-a46a-3900b2eee181/content/images/2026/10/romiin-pic-1.jpg) ## **romiin — *one at a time*** Auckland pop-R&B artist **romiin** returns with *One At A Time*, continuing his funky pop-R&B sound while bringing a more personal approach to his songwriting. His first release in over two years, the track explores miscommunication in relationships, focusing on crossed wires, half-said thoughts and the small misunderstandings that can build over time. *One At A Time* marks a more emotionally considered period for romiin, questioning how much of yourself you can give to make a relationship work. --- ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/82/ae/82ae15cc-791b-45a9-a46a-3900b2eee181/content/images/2026/10/image-4.png) ## **Agnes Aleesy — *La Columna*** Ōtautahi songwriter **Agnes Aleesy** blends folk, jazz and soul with ethereal vocals and candid storytelling, drawing inspiration from experimental artists including James Blake and Moses Sumney. Her latest single *La Columna* is named after and partly inspired by Frida Kahlo’s *The Broken Column*, moving from a chamber-pop arrangement of acoustic guitar, strings and layered vocals into alt-R&B as it explores hope, acceptance and surrender. The track marks Aleesy’s first new music since 2023 and is the lead single from a new collection due out in 2027 via Winegum Records. [La Columna by Agnes Aleesy](https://agnesaleesy.bandcamp.com/track/la-columna?ref=rootsmag.nz) --- ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/82/ae/82ae15cc-791b-45a9-a46a-3900b2eee181/content/images/2026/10/Park-Palais-----October-Again--Single-Artwork.jpg) ## **Park Palais — *October Again*** **Park Palais** is the solo project of **Rhian Ward**, formerly the singer, songwriter and co-producer of **Mako Road**. After spending the past two years developing the project, Ward has released debut single *October Again*, which he wrote, recorded and produced at his home studio. Inspired by writing about his jasmine plants, the track reflects on going through difficult times and finding a way to grow again, and also serves as the title track for Park Palais’ forthcoming EP. --- ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/82/ae/82ae15cc-791b-45a9-a46a-3900b2eee181/content/images/2026/10/image-6.png) ## **Sam Cullen — *Oh So Lonely*** Southland-born singer-songwriter **Sam Cullen** blends rock ’n’ roll with pop, drawing on stories from home and his experiences growing up in Aotearoa. Following his self-titled debut album in 2025 and a sold-out summer tour with his four-piece band, Cullen returns with *Oh So Lonely*, his first new music in close to a year. Written during a difficult period in his pursuit of a music career, the raucous single explores the isolation that can come with chasing a creative dream and the importance of the people who help you work through it.