Taiotims - Single Review: All For You
28 Apr 2022 // review by Cathy Elizabeth
This charming track from Mataio Timaloa AKA Taiotims really put a smile on the dial today. With simple uncluttered beats and a nostalgic feel, backing close, intimate vocals that have been recorded in such a way as to capture that up-close-and-personal vibe, and the subject matter “A love letter to my significant other half” is so lovely to hear in Hip-Hop, or any style of music really, what’s not to love about it?
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Michele Ducray - Single/Video Review: Manifesto
06 Apr 2022 // review by Cathy Elizabeth
Christchurch-based pop artist Michele Ducray releases her
sophomore single Manifesto, complete with slick video clip produced by Shae Sterling,
courtesy of NZ On Air. This dark and intriguing track opens in a foreboding room,
filled with polaroid pictures hung on strings, and a somewhat disturbed-seeming
character sitting on a step, alone.
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Imugi - EP Review: It's OK To Be A Lil Alien
05 Apr 2022 // review by Cathy Elizabeth
Auckland-based Imugi is comprised of beatmaker/producer
Carl Ruwhiu and songwriter/vocalist Yery Cho. With regular releases since 2017 and some big
shows and festivals under their belt, Carl and Yery have carved out a space for
themselves in the New Zealand music scene, and don’t look to be going anywhere
anytime soon.
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TUi MAMAKi - EP Review: A L'Aube
11 Feb 2022 // review by Cathy Elizabeth
What an absolute pleasure to dip my toes into the cool water beneath the pier with TUi MAMAKi, and listen to her beautifully immersive EP A L’Aube. The title track is described by TUi MAMAKi as “inspired by a dream in which I met my animus : we sat together on a pier and, feeling no need to speak, played music til dawn.
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Wubchaser - EP Review: Signal to Noise
29 Dec 2021 // review by Cathy Elizabeth
Wubchaser is the
electronic music project of Auckland-based sound engineer and producer Luke Finlay
of Primal Mastering. Hailing from the alternative music scene and having previously
played in metal bands, Finlay has more recently been doing live sound at big
events such as RnV, Shipwrecked, Aum, and Splore.
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Fragile Colours - Album Review: Dancing With The Shadows (In Plato's Cave)
14 Dec 2021 // review by Cathy Elizabeth
Studio project Fragile
Colours released their second album Dancing With The Shadows (In Plato’s Cave)
in June 2021, this time featuring Kamaea Harry on vocals. Nine out of the 10 tracks
on the album were penned by Tim Julian specifically with Kamaea’s voice in mind after she sang most of the backing vocals on the previous album Southern Utopia.
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Fathom - Single Review: Mother Star
26 Nov 2021 // review by Cathy Elizabeth
Mother Star is the debut single that introduces Fathom, solo project of Auckland-based Nancy Howie, to the world, with an extravagant and emphatic throwing back of the curtains, and a celebratory sense of letting the sun shine in.
I suspect the incredibly creative and resourceful Howie has single-handedly ushered in the Age of Aquarius with this wholesome and uplifting alt-folk anthem.
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Cloudy - Single Review: Worth It
25 Nov 2021 // review by Cathy Elizabeth
Kiwi-Austrian artist Cloudy’s new single Worth It ushers in a new sound and a new era for the
Auckland-based singer/songwriter. Now accompanied by a full band, the vibe and
the energy of the material has been lifted, and this has opened up exciting new
songwriting territory for Claudia Paine and her upcoming EP.
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NOVA - EP Review: NOVA
11 Nov 2021 // review by Cathy Elizabeth
A pleasure to review
this debut self-titled EP from NOVA; the new musical project of Wellington locals Bryn van Vliet and Eliza Pickard, joined by Jeremy Richardson and Phoebe Johnson. The vibe is soothing, relaxed, and calming, and is a very nice listen indeed.
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Khailana - Single Review: The Gnome King
20 Oct 2021 // review by Cathy Elizabeth
The delicate ringing of a single piano chord, like the rhythmic tolling of a funeral bell, seems fitting for a song about the potential ending of a relationship … stark in its simplicity, yet beautiful in its tragedy. An ethereal choir of voices are the only other accompaniment for Khailana’s poignant and resolute opening lines, concluding with the single strum of a tremolo-heavy electric guitar.
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NahBo - Album Review: Ruptured
14 Sep 2021 // review by Cathy Elizabeth
NahBo (Taranaki
Ah Young-Grace) is breaking down creative barriers with their new album Ruptured. The intro track Download is a futuristic video game-esque prelude which sets the scene for what can only be described as the creation of a new genre (perhaps?
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The Human Kind - Single Review: Ready To Live
27 Aug 2021 // review by Cathy Elizabeth
Ready To
Live is a beautiful inspirational track from The Human Kind; a collective with a focus on health and wellbeing. The song features a diverse array of instrumentation including strings, flute, synths, and something that sounds to me like maybe a
Gudok or similar?
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Arjuna Oakes - Single Review: Satellites w/ Serebii
19 Aug 2021 // review by Cathy Elizabeth
Satellites launches with a bump and instantly draws you into
its gravitational pull by way of smooth lo-fi synth tones and spacey beat. Percussion
floats in, further enticing us into its dreamy orbit, while deep fuzzy bass
and envelope-filtered guitar play in parallel, setting up melody lines which become
the anchor of the song.
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Mako Road - Album Review: Stranger Days
12 Aug 2021 // review by Cathy Elizabeth
4-piece indie rock band Mako Road are back once again, this time with their first full-length album. Their sound is an interesting blend of indie and funk, layered with reverb and delay-heavy guitars, creating that classic kiwi “dub” feel, but with a live-jammed garage-band twist.
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Dillastrate - EP Review: Narrative
12 Aug 2021 // review by Cathy Elizabeth
I was excited to review Dillastrate after I saw them play live in Wellington recently and absolutely loved their energy and musicianship. I must admit I was playing catch-up from there, and after having had a quick listen to their previous album, I have to say that Narrative is definitely a step up; both in production value and over-all song crafting.
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Lauren Gin - Single Review: Say No
12 Aug 2021 // review by Cathy Elizabeth
25 year old Lauren Gin has been DJing for some 5 years now, playing popular shows and festivals in and around New Zealand, as well as internationally. 2021 marks the third year of making her own music, releasing her first single in 2019, and debut EP Supernova in 2020, effectively establishing herself as an electronic music producer in her own right.
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