Hamilton’s rising alt-pop-rock duo Bird Machine (Luke and Jenna Grbin) release their eagerly awaited new single ‘Hellos and Frowns’ today. And if you grew up at a time when Grunge and its sub-cultural anti-vibe appeared, you’ll want to know about these guys.

The band explains the meaning of the song in that it provides a unique viewpoint into the world as seen through the eyes of their young son. “The song tries to give one perspective on what life might be like for someone with autism,” and the lyrics grab you tight when you understand where the song is coming from.

A very good promo video has been released for this single. A great concept in that it splits itself into three visual chambers, in a very articulate visualisation of how their son experiences his world. I commend and thank them for that, because it makes the video all the more interesting – and it was interesting before I read that about it.

The song is led by Jenna’s great soprano tones, perfectly married to the acoustic start-up and fiery, distortion-laden grunge rock main element that blasts in very quickly. No nonsense.

The band record, produce and finish their recordings at their own studio in that city on the Waikato river that’s evidently building a head of steam as a hub for highly creative and driven musicians. Musicianship in this band is good, with homage paid to the basic format of the grunge guitar power-chord/riff mix. No grunge song would work without a deep, thunderous bottom end (Dave Grohl would snarl if you didn’t achieve that) and this song delivers that.

Keep an eye out for this band. They’re crafting a great portfolio, and no two songs are the same. Massive thumbs-up from Jack.