Eve Kelly, proudly Ngāti Porou, Ngāpuhi and born and raised in Whakatāne, has come back to Flash-Trax with a jaw-droppingly professional piece of pop. This track, Summer Lovin‘, has funk, R & B, an incredible earworm of a melody, and one of the coolest, tightest mixes I’ve heard from the genre in quite some time.…

Tawhito is the Te Reo noun for “old”. Tāmaki-based Māori producer Mokotron, hailing from Ngāti Hine, is releasing this track from his up-coming album The United Tribes Of Bass. And we are diving deep in D & B turf. I get to review this single on Waitangi Day 2024. Recognised as Aotearoa New Zealand’s National…

Taranaki is really providing my happy place this week! Courtnay Low, a member of the fabulous Mons Whaler, is also the leader of Courtnay & The Unholy Reverie. This band takes its influences from a number of classic forms like jazz, blues, rock and roll – and have delivered an absolute monster of a rocker…

Another band from the fabulous Taranaki region, and another delightfully unique one at that. TheSlacks are not newcomers, and have had some ticks with previous hits, as well as some serious shows on their CV. Consisting of Scott Armstrong on vocals and rhythm guitar, Mark Armstrong on vocals and lead guitar, Blake Gibson on vocals…

Moana Leota is Mozie, Wairarapa-raised but now resident of Te Whanganui-a-Tara. Her new single is called Sonshine (I have spelled it correctly, before anyone brays their faux annoyance!) and once again I have been provided with something special. I’ve said before that there are certain sounds that seem to be synonymous with these islands and…

Fraser Ross, from Ōtautahi, has a delightful, playful tenor that immediately puts you at your ease. I got a great vibe from the new single Cards, the forerunner to his pending album release in March, entitled Thunderhead. Now this single is absolutely charming. It’s got a gentle, catchy melody that will draw you in. Backing…

Chances Are is a three piece unit from Tūranganui-a-Kiwa, Tāmaki Makaurau and London collectively. Alexander Grant, Lliam Powell and Maté Vella make up the unit, and I have a lot of thinking to do. Let’s get this straight, right off the bat. This is not a song for the pop charts. I’m very much put…

Tāmaki Makaurau is home to a band that brings avant-garde into a new, sonic dimension. Repairs, made up of Martin Phillips (he/him), Nicola Edwards (she/her) and James Milne (he/him), bring us their new single and promo video, Map, Territory. We’re treated to a feedback-laden wall of distorted sound, blended rather skillfully and putting me in…

Tauranga’s Sophie-Maude has just dropped her third single, Vertigo. Co-written by the artist and Ben Malone, who produced the track at Parachute (before sending it over to Kog for mastering), the song was engineered to give off the vibe of the listener being on an emotional rollercoaster. Now, all-out Pop music has a very definitive…

Hawkes Bay’s Classic Metal exponents Black Smoke Trigger bring us their new single Perfect Torture. The genre cluster these guys live in and perform from is quite literally what I grew from teenager to adult listening to. The number of close personal friends I could name who would love this band would easily top three…