New Music 15/05
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Jayme Morpeth — Fast Car
Pōneke singer-songwriter Jayme Morpeth has been writing music since the age of 12, building a catalogue rooted in emotional honesty and lived experience. Across recent singles Gone For Good and Just To Feel It, the 21-year-old has explored heartbreak, healing, and self-reflection, themes that continue through her upcoming EP Good Grief. Her new single Fast Car captures a turning point within that journey, pairing emotional weight with a more freeing and upbeat energy as it explores letting go of the past and learning to trust new love again. With its balance of vulnerability and release, the track marks another confident step forward for Jayme Morpeth as she continues shaping her emerging sound.
Welcomer — Impossible
Welcomer continue to build towards their debut album Calendars with the release of Impossible, a rollicking and emotionally charged new single centred on youth, relationships, and the difficult process of growing up. Led by songwriter Miles Sutton, the project balances introspection with humour, pairing vivid storytelling and raw vulnerability with a more lush and expansive sound shaped alongside producer Jesse Austin-Stewart. Previous releases like Magazine Clippings featuring Lontalius introduced that richly detailed approach, while Impossible leans into a more upbeat and energetic direction without losing the emotional weight at the core of the band’s songwriting. With Calendars set to arrive as a reflective coming-of-age record, Welcomer continue to carve out a thoughtful and affecting space within Aotearoa’s indie landscape.
Jessica Leigh — Pretty Please
New Zealand indie pop and rock artist, songwriter, and producer Jessica Leigh is building a reputation for her sharp lyricism, glossy production, and emotionally charged guitar-driven songwriting. Since her last EP, she has been named a Rolling Stone AU/NZ Artist to Watch, travelled internationally for writing camps and collaborations, and continued expanding her work as both a solo artist and producer for other female and LGBTQIA+ musicians. Her new single Pretty Please arrives as the final release ahead of her upcoming EP I WANNA BE A STAR, blending shimmering acoustic guitars, layered synths, and polished pop hooks with lyrics unpacking beauty standards, isolation, and blurred lines between admiration and desire. With the EP set to further showcase her confident creative direction, Jessica Leigh continues to establish herself as one of Aotearoa’s most exciting emerging pop voices.
jaycee!! — Love Me
jaycee!! is continuing to evolve his sound and creative direction, stepping into a new era shaped by collaborations with a growing circle of producers and creatives around Tāmaki Makaurau. Following earlier single Leave It Be, he returns with Love Me, a yearning indie rock track created alongside producer and singer-songwriter Charisma Club, with additional creative input from Jacob Callwood. Built around shimmering, 1975-inspired guitars and youthful romantic tension, the single captures the feeling of lingering crushes and emotional vulnerability. As he works towards his upcoming EP Feel Something, Feel Everything, jaycee!! is refining a sound centred on romance, connection, and emotional honesty.
Mason & The Monsoons — Mirrorball (ALBUM)
Mason & The Monsoons is the solo project of Hawke’s Bay singer-songwriter Mason Blair, blending folk, soul, rock and roll, glam rock, and indie pop into a self-produced sound shaped by influences ranging from The Five Satins to Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds. After introducing the project in 2023 and releasing the first singles from his debut record throughout 2026, he now arrives with MIRRORBALL, an album exploring love, loss, loneliness, and the search for joy during your early twenties. Recorded entirely in his bedroom with a DIY approach, the album uses the image of a mirror ball as a symbol of freedom and self-expression under the lights of the dancefloor. Through its mix of vulnerability and ambition, Mason & The Monsoons deliver a debut rooted in creativity, emotion, and independence.
jqime — talk to me
jqime are a three-piece band from Aotearoa blending intimate songwriting with drum and bass-inspired rhythms, soul, and R&B influences. Formed by lead vocalist Jaime Faisal in 2021 when she was just 12 years old, the project has grown from bedroom recordings into a fully collaborative band alongside drummer and producer Hector Rushbrook and instrumentalist Samuel Matthews. Drawing on Jaime’s early passion for writing and self-recording music, the group have steadily built a sound that resonates well beyond New Zealand. Their new single talk to me continues that evolution, arriving as part of an upcoming run of releases that positions jqime as an exciting act to keep an eye on.
FYNN & HD — Low
FYNN is a New Zealand tech house DJ and producer focused on groove-driven club music built for late-night systems and dancefloor energy. Leaning into minimal arrangements, deep low-end weight, and tight percussion, his sound prioritises rhythm and movement over excess. His new track Low, created alongside US-based producer HD, emerged through a fully remote trans-Pacific collaboration that saw the pair continually refine and strip the record back to its essential elements. The result is a restrained and tension-filled tech house release that reflects both artists’ focus on atmosphere, precision, and club functionality.
Niki Kennedy — Through the Night
Niki Kennedy is an award-winning Pasifika singer-songwriter and musician originally from Aotearoa and now based in Canada, blending roots and soul influences into warm, emotionally rich songwriting. Her music is grounded in themes of identity, connection, and belonging, pairing groove-driven production with heartfelt storytelling. Her new single Through The Night was written and co-produced during a period of deep homesickness, reflecting on the pull of home and the lengths we go to for the people and places we love. With its intimate atmosphere and soulful warmth, the track continues to shape the world of an upcoming project centred on reconnection and finding comfort across distance.
Beth Elsden — Haunts You
Beth Elsden is a rising Tāmaki Makaurau singer-songwriter known for diaristic songwriting that balances emotional vulnerability with sharp self-awareness. Working closely with longtime collaborator Abby Wolfe, she has continued to build a reputation for intimate, reflective indie pop rooted in honesty and personal storytelling. Her new single Haunts You arrives as the closing track from her upcoming debut EP The Waiting Room, capturing a turning point of confidence and emotional reclamation after heartbreak. Blending catharsis with biting lyricism, the track transforms painful memories into strength, further cementing Beth Elsden as one of Aotearoa’s most compelling emerging voices.
Vanessa Tottle — Earthside
Vanessa Tottle is asking listeners to slow down with Earthside, an 11-minute and 16-second journey into the artist’s most expansive sonic territory yet. Released as part of NZ Music Month, the track pushes back against the fast-moving world of 15-second soundbites and instead embraces a patient, immersive listening experience. Rather than following the usual rules of modern streaming, Earthside unfolds gradually with no radio edits in sight, rewarding those who stay with it from beginning to end.
