Author: jackg70
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Alec is the project of Hugh Piesse (he/him), a musician, songwriter and producer based in Tāmaki Makaurau. As Alec, Piesse creates contemplative alternative rock, despondent yet wryly devotional, all through a veiled vocal delivery. Piesse has a long history within alternative music in Aotearoa, performing in groups like Caroles (alongside Reuben Winter & Lawrence Goodwin), Crook, Purex, NewFolder and TiedOnTeeth. When not working on original…
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Six Twos are back and I get to review more punk. I love punk: the attitude prevalent in the playing, the dystopian predictions for our collective future, the jaundiced view of our present, and the sneer by which it all gets packaged into an uncompromising, non-conforming one. These guys do this well. I am reviewing…
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Ohhhhh what a charming act Turkey The Bird are! This is the spin-off, so to speak, from Bananamundo, and these guys are an absolute delight to listen to. Folky as all hell, new single Watering Can is how this stuff should be done. With layered banjos being plucked, guitars, warm rhythms and beautifully stacked harmonies,…
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Regular surf-rock/reggae artists Flaxxies surprise with their latest single, a gorgeous acoustic rock ballad titled Blister. Combining the vocal chops of Benji Humphries, the bass of Chris Manning, drums of Neo Lee, and the guitar pairing of Eric Goodger on lead and Nick Tait on rhythm, these guys are cultivating a great, more diverse than…
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Tyrun, an Aucklander of Niuean and Samoan heritage, is quite the package. New single Do It brings forth a good focus on what this young multi-talented entertainer is going to be bringing us over his career. With a gentle synth based R & B number, suffused by pop drums and percussion, Tyrun demonstrates his youthful…
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Wellington’s Dateline are back with new single Hands, and again we have a few surprises from Katie Everingham and team. An almost Pixies-esque caustic guitar strum introduces us to the song, and pervades throughout, giving us a continual reminder of the discordant vibe being communicated. The rhythm section drops in after a few bars and…
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I am gutted. The Late Starters have decided to call it a day. These guys were one of the first bands I reviewed, and I have nothing but positive thoughts for their music. Right up my alley. This, what is now their final single, is Watchin’ The Tide Roll In. It was from their 2019…
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Multi-talented Mia Kelly is the Wellington-based force behind Japes. This newest single, Lighter Thief, takes us on another audio journey through their avant-garde world of sound and inspired minds-eye vision. A tad more up-tempo from the previous track, Japes does put me in mind of Icelandic queen of the alternative synth-pop, Bjork. Not in timbre,…
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