Interview
Self doubt and grief are heavy burdens to carry. After a period away from music Beth Elsden has found her way back with a clear sense of purpose. Now with three singles under her belt and an upcoming EP on the horizon, we got the lowdown on how she rediscovered
Interview
Once known as the rap artist Randa, Mainard Larkin's path hasn't always been clear cut. Recently emerging with an unexpected new direction... it seems everyone is making country music nowadays. But this is so much more than that. These songs have depth and a level of
Music News
Nineteen years young with a musical maturity that defies time, Ihaka has released his debut EP, HELP! I’m Stuck In Genesis. Creation can be chaotic and unpredictable for those of us who trust the muse. Ihaka has woven a collection of ideas into brooding mood scenes, making themselves known
Music News
The majority of bands have around three to five members. Wellington outfit Raw Collective are on a different scale all together. Eight musicians throwing their full force into a sound big enough to stretch across genres. Their latest release In The Clouds is an ode to growth and change. Blending
Culture
Every year May rolls around, and the New Zealand music industry hits repeat: Support local. Listen local. Show up. It is all of the best intention. Playlists. Panels. Posters in shop windows. Radio hosts talking up “our sound.”, not to mention new music releases. It is a positively electric time.
Review
Georgia Knight's long-awaited return to the stage proved that some performances are worth postponing. Originally scheduled for April, before weather conditions forced a delay, Saturday's performance at Neck of the Woods was like stepping into another world. The evening opened with 'Huaxi Flowerstream', a
Review
A lot of songs come crashing in with hooks and hype. They're built to capture attention and engulf the listener in an immersive 'on trend' experience. It's a common theme seen in many of the tracks that land in our inbox. Suze Harper goes
Music News
Auckland artist Sabreen has released a new version of her 2025 single ‘The End’, this time reworked through a collaboration with Palestinian artist and activist Rana Hamida. ‘The End (Arabic Version)’ expands on the original song, digging into grief, and connection - combining South Asian and Palestinian musical influences into
Culture
Wellington is about to host one of the strangest and loudest live events of the year. The NZ International Comedy Festival and NZ Music Month are coming together for Pōneke House Party, a one night collision of comedy, music and chaos at the Opera House on Sunday 17 May. Co-headlined
Fresh tracks, and the stories that matter in Aotearoa’s evolving scene.
Greta van den Brink's journey from the film industry to fully fledged musician has been nothing short of curious. She continues to play a distinct and active role in music video production, while threading a unique combination of influences into her sound. Greta's profile is growing
There is a slow fading of that (anti-culture) New Zealand-ism in modern Aotearoa. It's an imperfect, organic way of life that presents itself in our strange rounded yet twangy accent. A habit of calling things as they are and an unintentional preference for downplaying it. Go back twenty
It’s great to see the Aotearoa music scene thriving and I love that we still set aside the month of May to celebrate our local artists and bands – especially fresh talent. But I’ve struggled these past few years to keep up with the pace at which new artists
& Juliet has hit the Civic in all its electro-pop glory and like Katy Perry - audiences haven’t just liked it, they are loving it! The Shakespeare inspired Jukebox musical of songs written by award winning singer-songwriter Max Martin features tunes audiences love, including Hit Me Baby One More
Her new single All of Me pulls from folk roots fused with pop rock textures - it's a deliberate and stylistically driven sound refined with just enough edge to feel lived in and direct. Dani writes with a sort of tension that draws on soft lines and open
They never set out to recreate a past era and yet The Rions have an instinctive spark that listeners keep circling back to. It's loose, guitar driven - a little rough around the edges in a way that cuts deeper than your standard trending indie pop. As their
Hanne Jøstensen did not rush her EP into the world. She built it slowly, quietly, over years when life was pulling in different directions. The Lighthouse is shaped by patience. Carrying the weight of time, the notion of distance, and the focus of someone who chose to finish what she
Breaches debut EP lands in the middle of alt-pop’s shift toward a rougher, heavier, and more texture-led sonic quality. Across four tracks, the Pōneke duo trade polish for pressure. Guitars that crackle alongside low sitting synths in a mix that holds slow brooding intensity at the forefront. Singles ‘Seeds’
Just Janie draws from the past without getting stuck in it. With Mythology of the Girls, she pulls threads from the counterculture era and ties them to the urgent and misguided(?) modern age. The resulting output gives a familiar warmth at first listen, then becomes suggestively unsettling once the stories
Auckland’s BIG FAN is putting rangatahi at the centre of the live music space with a new all-ages series set to run across 2026. Called New Fans, the programme provides paid work opportunities for youth to become involved across all aspects of live music events. The series kicks off
Meticulously crafted over more than six years, and with a title that reflects a decade of personal discovery, Andy Smith’s album Ten Years is a clear example of how DIY music-making can evolve into an undeniably polished record. Written, produced, recorded, and mixed primarily by Andy himself, Ten Years
The 2026 Aotearoa Music Awards finalists have landed, with winners to be revealed on May 28 at The Civic to close out New Zealand Music Month. Marlon Williams leads the field with seven nominations for Te Whare Tīwekaweka, his te reo Māori record that hit number one and shifted the
