FRIDAY, 9TH MAY 2025

NZ Music Month: The best of the rest (that you might not know about)

Every year, NZ Music Month rolls in loud and proud. Airwaves flood with the sounds of The Finns, Dobbyn, Benee, Six60 — names so familiar they’re practically furniture. And while we love a singalong to the classics, there’s a whole wave of newer voices reshaping what New Zealand music sounds like in 2025.

This list isn’t about the biggest names or the most-streamed singles. It’s about the best of the rest — bold, moving, brilliantly crafted songs from Aotearoa’s bubbling underground and rising indie scene. Some are heartbreakers. Some are dancefloor fillers. All of them deserve your ears. 

Hemi Hemingway – '(To Be) Without You'

Crooning like a lost rockabilly ghost on a Flying Nun compilation, Hemi Hemingway channels vintage heartbreak with modern precision. ‘(To Be) Without You’ is soaked in reverb and regret, all swaying rhythm and 60s flair, but there’s an edge of knowing self-awareness to it too. It’s not just pastiche — it’s personal. Think lost love playing on an old jukebox in a dive bar at the end of the world.

Elliot Dawson – 'Speaking Frankly'

A bold, shape-shifting single that refuses to settle into any one genre. ‘Speaking Frankly’ opens with nervy, angular jazz horns, then dives into a rhythmic, almost spoken-word art-pop performance. Dawson’s lyrics are reflective and acerbic, shifting between vulnerability and critique. If you like your songs theatrical, unpredictable, and layered with meaning, this one is for you.

Molly Payton – 'Accelerate'

An urgent, emotionally-charged indie rock number that captures the confusion and momentum of growing up fast. ‘Accelerate’ pairs scuzzy guitar tones with Molly Payton’s magnetic voice — raw, aching, and resolute. It’s a track that feels like flooring the gas pedal on a stormy night — you don’t know where you’re going, but you can’t stop now.

Borderline – 'Heartbeat' 

This dreamy electro-pop track pulses with the anticipation of a missed connection. ‘Heartbeat’ is all shimmer and pulse, with lyrics that ache beneath its synth-soaked surface. There’s a youthful innocence to it, but it’s cleverly constructed — the kind of pop track that sneaks up on you and leaves you breathless. Borderline is making glossy music for uncertain moments.

Coast Arcade – 'City Limits'

A fiery guitar-pop anthem that oozes energy and charisma. ‘City Limits’ captures the feeling of being stuck in the same place for too long and itching to break out. It’s fast, catchy, and made for live crowds, with a shout-along chorus that sticks. Coast Arcade bring the scrappy, youthful spirit of early 2000s pop-punk into a distinctly Kiwi context.

BEX – 'Clearly'

A glittery, biting electro-pop banger about clarity, closure, and reclaiming your narrative. BEX balances slick production with raw emotional honesty on ‘Clearly’ — it’s equal parts heartbreak and healing, driven by a synth-heavy beat and infectious vocal melodies. It feels like dancing through the end of something that once meant everything.

There’s A Tuesday – 'Margo' 

Gentle and melancholic, ‘Margo’ is a quietly devastating indie-pop gem. It paints a vivid, cinematic portrait of a character who may or may not be real — a vessel for feelings left unsaid. The band’s harmonies are pristine, the guitar work is delicate, and the lyricism is open-hearted in the most beautiful way. A song that lingers in the air long after it ends.

Jude Kelly – 'Clarence'

There’s something dreamlike and oddly haunting about ‘Clarence’ — part nostalgic folk tale, part poetic memoir. Jude Kelly blends lush acoustic textures with hushed vocals and surreal lyrical images, conjuring a story that feels rooted in childhood, memory, and mystery. It’s a track that rewards repeat listens, each time revealing a little more of its strange beauty.

Fazerdaze – 'Bigger' 

A triumphant re-emergence from an artist who’s always found strength in introspection. ‘Bigger’ is a meditation on boundaries, self-worth, and growth, all wrapped up in Fazerdaze’s signature wash of dreamy guitars and propulsive beats. It’s quietly powerful — not an explosion, but a rising tide of confidence and clarity.

Michaela Tempers – 'Higher Ground' 

A glowing, slow-burn soul-pop track that wraps you in warmth and ascends with purpose. ‘Higher Ground’ showcases Michaela Tempers’s vocal range and emotional control, layering silky melodies over sparse, atmospheric production. It’s the sound of someone rising from the weight of doubt — graceful, determined, and sure of their next step.

Dig Deeper This NZ Music Month

Celebrate the legends, absolutely. They built the stage. But don’t stop there — because out in the venues, bedrooms, and backyards of Aotearoa, the next wave is alive. These artists might not be in every as widely known (yet), but their stories, sounds, and experiments are pushing the boundaries of what New Zealand music can be.

So, hit play on something unfamiliar. Buy a ticket to a local show. Add a name you don’t know to your playlist. Because that’s what NZ Music Month is really about (or should be) — not just looking back, but listening forward.