I’m growing increasingly excited by the burgeoning rock/punk/indie scene evident in this country. From the number of jaw-droppingly good bands and their songwriting abilities, I have jumped into this reviewing game with unerringly good timing.

Midwave Breaks is a duo from Tauranga. Comprising drummer Paul Russell (formerly of Supergroove) and multi-instrumentalist/vocalist Bruce Conlon, they have delivered already a number of times in NZ. This latest single, Stonewall, is an absolute high energy belter. With an almost Kravitz-esque monster guitar riff, some balls to the wall vocals and a rich rhythm section delivering a thumping bottom end, this track oozes Kiwi Rock ’23.

A really cool video depicting some very talented and fearless skateboarders making their unique way down a mountain road, the track tears along with an intense, non-sweetened melody and undeniably professional musicianship. Recorded by the artists themselves, they mixed and mastered this at Bruce Conlon‘s own studio in the outer Tauranga area.

With the rather unconventional inspiration for the song being Bruce taking the life of his pop-up pool while using his mower, we’re looking at something that’s crossing heavy rock, indie, punk and nu-metal and giving it a blend that comes out with its own very much individual sound. The vocal timbre Bruce provides is in no small way responsible for that too. What a vocalist!

This is for The Rock, student radio, the car, partay-time with the bros, and will most definitely go down well live. Definitely up my street, and if Flash-trax ever considers putting on a festival, you can bet your trousers Midwave Breaks will be on the bill based on this.