Category: Reviews

  • And so Sanoi brings us Augenblick: Side B. This is the final instalment of his exploration through an ever widening prism of sound and colour via the magic of the human ear, the technological wizardry of the artist and the courage to embrace the avant-garde. Adding to the emotive grooves of this instalment we have…

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  • WAHOO! I just listened to the greatest ever 1970’s UK TV sit-com theme-tune that never was, brought into 2026 with an absolute banger of a mix! I was tapping me toes, nodding the head and smiling at I listened to the latest release by Tāmaki Makaurau musician Amelia Berry, known to us as Amameila. The…

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  • Well now. I started this post a whole 24 hours ago, the pic, the heading, making sure it went to the correct page on the Flash-Trax website – then mamma Nature intervened with a delightful storm, and that was, as they say, that. And so back to it! Wellington girl turned Auckland resident Crystal brings…

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  • The new single from her second album Set Her Free, Tiny Spaces really highlights the reasons behind Alayna‘s success as a streaming artist over the past few years. With a lush production that elevates the organic use of “real” instruments, Tiny Spaces shows why Alayna is attracting fans from across some very diverse genres. This…

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  • How does this band keep doing this??? Somebody tell me? If I ever get the chance to see The Transits live I will be down the front, roaring at the top of my lungs to rock anthem after rock anthem. Messrs. Lunn, Antelme and Smith have got the writing, performing, recording and visualising of their…

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  • I often wax lyrical about the Taranaki region and its evident abundance of musical talent. Amongst these, most deservedly so, sits MissCrystal Starr. From her fabbo EP Eyes To The Stars I am going to review the eponymously titled single. Firstly, when searching Spotify etc. make sure you search the full title MissCrystal Starr! Two…

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  • Cry Wolf feels to me like a supergroup of acts I have reviewed over the past few years. And the sound of this single, Player One, certainly lives up to the term supergroup. Kevin Ashby, Josh Dillner, Nick Raven, James Porteous. A roll call of names from a list if heavyweight bands of recent times,…

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  • What do you get when you cross The Undertones with The Jam, transport them to Aotearoa in 2026, and stick a Dublin-born, Wellington-based vocalist who’s Facebook says he’s from Helsinki, into the mix? You get the rather splendid Oven, by Dónal Gunning, that’s what. With an instantly attention-grabbing bass and drums intro straight out of…

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  • AAAAAAAA, what a winner of a song! Play For Keeps, formerly monickered Ellie Oak, are a Christchurch-based five-piece indie band, and when I say indie I mean INDIE. This is totally up my street! I am going to gush. Play For Keeps single Handsome Boy gives us a light melody that’s catchy, swinging, commercial and…

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  • I’ve been introduced to Christchurch hardcore 4-piece Crisis, and again I find myself happy with the intro. Consisting of vocalist Jack (that’s a great name to call your children), guitar/BVs from Nathan, drummer/BVs by Liam, and bass/BVs by Callum, the guys have released a demo recording of new single Bones. The demo allows us to…

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