I find myself often saying “I love this band” or “I’m a big fan of that band”. I’m in a truly privileged position of being given wonderful new music to hear – generally before the release date, unless my laptop decides to finally die, ahem! – and I get to tell you about what I hear and what you can expect. From this place of happies I can truthfully say my list of bands I love has grown massively in the last year or so.

I’m also very vocal about my level of appreciation for the inordinately high level of talent coming out of one of my favourite regions of Aotearoa, the mighty Taranaki. I’ve dug The Mara since I first heard them, and I’m stoked to be hearing new work. And oh man, Did You Believe is a real belter.

We have one of those melodies I like to refer to as a Rattlesnake. Fey and emotive, challenging your comfort and dripping with commercial savvy, delivered with a powerful, relentless tenor that could sit perfectly comfortably in any genre from salsa and jazz, through soul, pop, the blues, to the reggae and ska bands of this world. And it’s a true blend of each of those genres that Did You Believe is composed with, and I am sold.

Orchestration is pinpointed and balanced with panache in the studio. We’ve got some jazz/salsa guitars, their signature mammoth rhythm section delivering a tight, white hot bottom end. Brass sits in the mix and takes us somewhere naughty but nice – and it all gels under that utterly compelling lead vocal delivery. Liberal amounts of textured BVs gave me a feel good in my tumtum, and I was indeed tapping my feet, air drumming and nodding the head in time.

This track has to be picked up by commercial as well as student and regional radio. It’s fabulous! It’s also ably partnered by Mr. Professor Man, which is a re-mix of the first track of theirs I reviewed. They’ve polished it further in the studio, but managed to retain the high energy, sweat-flicking feel of the ska clubs of Kingston Town and Birmingham in the late 70s and early 80s. It’s still going to get you dancing and gyrating and popping onto Google for a two-tone suit and a black porkpie hat.

If you ain’t into The Mara yet, you are missing out. This is a band that can make the sounds I’ve described above into something stellar. This stuff is on release now, so get on and add to your playlists. Loved these tracks – and yes, I love The Mara.