New Underwire single "Wish I Was A Cowboy"

Wellington band Underwire have built a reputation for cranking live sets and punchy earworm songs, and their new single ‘Wish I Was A Cowboy’ keeps their genre-shattering spirit front and centre.

‘Wish I Was A Cowboy’ is a primal countrypunk howl for simpler times, the deep-seated wish to be somewhere or someone else that we can all relate to. “It ain’t rocket scientology but it sure is good fun!” says songwriter Johnny Mills. “Some songs just beam in, if you’re lucky, and that’s how ‘Cowboy’ came along”

Shades of rawhide, beans and badlands, and echoes of Gene Krupa - add the wizardry of producer Scott Seabright and you’ve got a weapon of the old warped west. With 8 singles now in the world, Underwire have been recording with Scott again, and will release their debut album later this year.

Underwire play like they mean it, with a distinctly fun, stormy, alt-rock sound – hints of surf punk, garage rock, swampy blues, psychobilly and ska. Formed from the collision of Clash and Pixies covers bands, Underwire quickly became a popular live act on the energetic Wellington indie music scene. Since their debut single ‘Gravity’ in 2023, Underwire have released a string of singles produced by Scott Seabright; clocked up over 27,000 YouTube views of their self-made videos; received airplay on indie radio around New Zealand, Australia, the US, UK, and mainland Europe; and have spent more than 12 months on Apple’s global New Rock and other playlists.

In their current lineup, Underwire features members of Wazzo Ghoti / Wazzo Clash, Proxies, Shanakie, and Head Like a Hole: with founding members Johnny Mills (guitar, vocals), Jane Brimblecombe (vocals), and Mark ‘Spike’ Roxburgh (guitar, vocals) being joined by Mark Hamill (drums), and Steve Tremewan (bass)

Award-winning T. G. Shand steps back into the spotlight with the hypnotic ‘The Deadpan Break’

Ōtautahi’s fine purveyor of shoegaze-meets-dream pop, T. G. Shand, returns with her first single of the year, ‘The Deadpan Break’.

Listen to ‘The Deadpan Break’ HERE.

The award-winning T. G. Shand, which is the brainchild of Annemarie Duff (formerly of the Melbourne band Miniatures) has been forging her own path in Aotearoa’s alternative scene with her signature blend of dream-pop, shoegaze and lo-fi.

‘The Deadpan Break’ is a sparse, yet warm, hypnotic tune that builds to a searing disco atmosphere. It’s about “breaking the deadpan,” says Annemarie.

‘The Deadpan Break’ sees Annemarie collaborating with a cast of top musical talent. This includes producer and mix engineer Tom Bell, who famously turned the renowned Chick’s Hotel in Port Chalmers into a recording studio. Up to this point, Annemarie has self-produced all of her T. G. Shand records, and describes the studio experience as “life changing”.

“Being able to work with a world class collaborator like Tom, give the song the best possible treatment, go down all the musical and production rabbit holes with someone who really understands the style, elevated it to a new level.”

Others who worked on ‘The Deadpan Break’ include Wellington-based Cory Champion (Electric Wire Hustle, Shocking Pinks) on drums and engineer Bevan Smith (Glass Vaults, Over the Atlantic, Skallander). The track was mastered at the Grammy Award-winning studios, The Lodge (New York) founded by Emily Lazar (David Bowie, Morrissey, Angel Olsen).

Helping to elevate the vibe and message of ‘The Deadpan Break’ is an equally atmospheric and hypnotic, layered abstract animation created by Spencer Hall, with input from Magda Wojciechowska and Riley Cooper,

Watch the animation here.

About T. G. Shand:

T. G. Shand makes unique sonic soundscapes, which blur the lines between shoegaze and dream-pop. T. G. Shand’s self-produced 2023 project, CINNAMON, topped the NZ Alt Charts and landed the Student Radio Network award for ‘Best EP’. T. G. Shand has opened for Blonde Redhead and performed at The Others Way and Nostalgia festivals.

ALLANA GOLDSMITH RELEASES HOATA - A STIRRING CELEBRATION OF PURPOSE AND WISDOM

ALLANA GOLDSMITH RELEASES HOATA - A STIRRING CELEBRATION OF PURPOSE AND WISDOM THIS AOTEAROA MUSIC MONTH

Listen to "HOATA" 

Watch HOATA music video 

"HOATA is a song of inspiration using our Māori sayings, and our relationships with our ways of living and being," says ALLANA. "‘HOATA’ is a moon phase when the moon is small…. It's a good day with energy for mahi."

As Aotearoa Music Month wraps up, Māori singer-songwriter ALLANA Goldsmith shares her breathtaking new single HOATA - a waiata born from the maramataka, steeped in ancestral wisdom, and guided by the whakataukī of those who walked before us. The single marks the final instalment of her Te Māngai Pāho-funded reo Māori trilogy.

Co-written during Reo Māori SongHubs ki Pōneke, the waiata features contributions from Tawaroa Kawana (mātanga reo), AJA, Thomas Te Taite (producer/engineer), and ALLANA herself. Its lyrics are woven with whakataukī that speak to intention, effort, and the pursuit of one’s goals.

"The chorus uses the whakataukī ‘He manako te kōura i kore ai’  meaning, ‘a crayfish won’t jump in your net just because you wish it in there’. It’s about doing the mahi " - ALLANA 

The single is released alongside a beautiful black-and-white music video, directed by Shivani Karan. Visually rooted in the energy of the hoata moon, the video brings to life the tension and harmony found in the maramataka, where movement mirrors the moon's pull.

"It’s a dance between the music and the moon phase," says ALLANA. "The waiata was written in this phase, a time of clarity and movement, I wanted the video to reflect that energy”

A graceful close to Aotearoa Music Month, HOATA is now available on all streaming platforms.

neoSage debuts with reflective first single “Breathe”

With his debut single Breathe, Auckland-based artist neoSage invites listeners into an inner world coloured by emotion, thought, and quiet revelation. Known for his work as a freelance composer and music tutor, Breathe marks the start of a new creative chapter.

Anchored on delicate piano and honest, searching lyrics, the track offers a gentle confrontation with the self. It’s the kind of song that feels like it already knows you, a moment to pause, feel, and look inward.

Reflecting on the timing of his debut release neoSage shares “I’ve spent so long trying to be rational, to step away from my instincts, but in doing that, I lost touch with what gives me life. Now, I want to translate my human experience – the quiet moments, the painful ones, the beautiful ones.”

With a background in composition and a mind shaped by philosophy as much as music, neoSage brings an emotional depth to everything he creates. “Art is too lonely if you keep things to yourself,” he adds - a sentiment that echoes through every note of Breathe.

The single is the first in a series of self-produced releases planned for 2025, each one drawn from what he calls his “personal journal.”

This debut is a quiet unveiling. 

New Zealand blues band BB & The Bullets are proud to announce the release of the next single from their forthcoming album “High Tide”.

New Zealand blues band BB & The Bullets are proud to announce the release of the next single from their forthcoming album “High Tide” on Friday May 30th. After the release of their debut single “Something In The Water” Whanganui band BB & The Bullets are at it again with another original track. This one is called “High Tide” and tells the story of a person trying to control the uncontrollable, a farmer whose land is threatened by a river. The recording features the keyboard skills of Brian’s compadre from a previous incarnation - the indelible Eddie Rayner, (Split Enz and Crowded House). Eddie and Brian worked together on film scores and as a Warner Bros act called The Makers. Eddie’s organ contribution to the song lifts the track and helps fill out the sound to portray the highly charged emotions the song conveys. This song is a crowd favourite at the band’s shows with the audience often singing along. It really hits home.

The video for the song was filmed in Whanganui and at Patea Bay, and features the rusted hulk of the wreck of the S.S Waitangi, a steamer that was beached there in 1923. BB & The Bullets debut album “High Tide” has been scooped up by iconic French Record label Dixiefrog Records and is due for international release through the label on September 12th this year. The album was recorded in Whanganui at producer and band leader Brian Baker’s Nixon Street recording studio after the band had established itself by gigging around the local circuit. With shows at Lads Brewery, a regular Thursday night at The Commercial Hotel, plus appearances at Mainstreet’s Kaboodle Festival and further afield in Whangarei, Auckland City Council Music In Parks, Bay Of Islands Jazz and Blues Festival, Capital Blues Inc in Wellington and the Te Puna Quarry in Tauranga, the band are establishing themselves as a dynamic blues rock trio, delivering high energy, emotive shows to delighted audiences.

Band members Brad McMillan (drums), Stu Duncan (bass) and Brian Baker (guitar and vocals) couldn’t be happier “Working with Dixie Frog, seeing our record released in Europe, UK, Canada, The States and New Zealand is a dream come true for our little Whanganui band” We hope everybody comes along for the ride!” The finished video and the single will be launched at Whanganui’s Commercial Hotel on Friday 30th May at 7pm, everyone is welcome, keep an eye on the band’s Facebook page for more announcements.

“High Tide” will be live on Spotify, You Tube, Apple Music and other streaming platforms on May 30th. The album will be released internationally on vinyl, CD and digital on September 12th.

TWO SIDES OF THE SAME STORY; "Remember Me" The Latest Deluxe Single Unveiled by IN THE SHALLOWS

Danni Davis is set to captivate listeners with the release of her deeply personal Deluxe single, "Remember Me"; a raw and emotionally-charged reflection on love, betrayal, and the struggle of trying to hold on when everything is slipping away.

The deluxe single delivers two sides of the same story: an edgy, pop version that almost makes you forget the weight of the words while you dance away your heartbreak… and a stripped-back acoustic take, with vulnerably raw vocals, harp and strings that intensify a vividly painted picture of the harsh reality that a love hard fought for couldn’t be salvaged. Through honest, introspective lyrics like “Say one thing and do another, What’s the reality?”, the track explores the complexities of a relationship built on half-truths and unspoken pain.

"This song came from one of the hardest moments in my life," says Danni Davis. "It’s about wanting to be remembered for the love you gave, even when it wasn’t enough to save what you had, whilst being real about how it feels when someone you trusted leaves you questioning everything."

Led by the ethereal voice of Welsh songwriter Danni Davis, the project has evolved from an intimate folk duo to a festival-ready band, after putting 70+ nationwide shows under her belt in just a few years.

Their upcoming 11 date winter tour sees Danni joined by long-time live bassist Shane Hamill and fresh talent Ben Brunskill (Guitar/Vocals), Arna Wnek (Keys/Vocals), and Sam Holdom (Drums), with special guests Michelle Velvin (Harp), Janet Holborrow (Cello) and Shona Juanas (Violin) joining in for the Auckland and Wellington shows.

Expect soaring harmonies, emotionally rich ballads, and a sneak peek at tracks from their upcoming album, dropping late 2025. Since times are tough for many right now, the band have teamed up with as many venues as possible to offer a rare chance to see the full band line up for free at selected shows across the North Island… because music should be for everyone!!

14.06 SPACE STUDIO, WHANGANUI
27.06 FIREBIRD, LEVIN - FREE SHOW
28.06 COMMON ROOM, HASTINGS
05.07 MEOW, WELLINGTON **With Strings & Harp
11.07 KINGS, OHAKUNE - FREE SHOW
12.07 MOST FM, NEW PLYMOUTH
25.07 ROSEMARYS BAR, TAUPO - FREE SHOW
26.07 THE TUNING FORK, AUCKLAND **With Strings & Harp
07.08 HOKOWHITU BOWLING CLUB, P.N
08.08 PAISLEY STAGE, NAPIER

TICKETS & MORE INFO HERE

ADAM HATTAWAY & THE HAUNTERS RELEASE NEW SINGLE + VIDEO TOMMY SEES GHOSTS

Just months since the release of their Marlon Williams produced album High Horse, Christchurch's own Adam Hattaway & The Haunters are back with a new single and video, "Tommy Sees Ghosts," accompanied by b-side "Roadside Incident."

Recorded to 2” 16-track tape in an old wool-shed deep in the south of Aotearoa, Tommy Sees Ghosts features a haunting and hypnotic groove reminiscent of the band's earlier music, with one foot in the '70s Stones disco ditch, and a refined focus on vocals akin to their recent album. The band rolls along in a late-night, inebriated haze, threatening to go off the rails at all times but sticking together like glue.

Inspired by true ghost stories, Adam delves into the tale of Tommy who lives close to the wind, getting up in the middle of the night to wave buenas noches to friends or lovers, dead and alive.  In the liminal space between waking and sleeping, he communes with the dead and does whatever he damn well pleases.

What does he want? Everything.

Accompanying the new track is an eerie music video by Hēmi Baker. We follow Hattaway portrayed as a noctule familiar and inspired by Miley Cyrus’ ‘Flowers’, as he dances through Melbourne’s Abbotsford Convent.

Tommy Sees Ghosts/ Roadside incident are available on all major streaming platforms and BandCamp For more information and a listen, visit adamhattawayandthehaunters.com.

Hannah Virk Releases Need You Music Video

On her 30th birthday, Hannah Virk bought a guitar. Getting the guitar unleashed a creative side to Hannah and she challenged herself to create her own songs, a journey that began in May 2024. On the first anniversary of the conception of her debut album Upstairs/Downstairs Hannah is excited to share her debut music video for her single Need You, released on May 24th 2025.

Need You is a song about acceptance of the love and space you hold for someone and what they provide for you. Need You explores Hannah’s personal discovery of her own independence in close relationships. The video presents a contrast between the natural world and the material, showing how we often dress ourselves up or present ourselves in different ways to please others.