T. G. Shand paints lush soundscape with new single, ‘Scenes’ + shares innovative visual treats
Ōtautahi-based shoegaze artist T. G. Shand has today released her latest sonic treasure ‘Scenes’ - alongside a stunning animated music video and a living digital art visualizer!
Listen to ‘Scenes’ HERE
Watch the video HERE
Ōtautahi-based shoegaze artist T. G. Shand has today released her latest sonic treasure ‘Scenes’ - alongside a stunning animated music video and a living digital art visualizer!
Blurring the lines between dream-pop, shoegaze, lo-fi and alternative, T. G. Shand aka Annemarie Duff, is inviting listeners back into her unique soundscape with this gentle and reflective single. ‘Scenes’ is a warm bath of tender poetry, bright guitars, shimmery vocal layers and a gently uplifting rhythm section. The self-produced single joins previously released EPs GOLDEN HOUR and CINNAMON - a discography that has landed the artist some impressive achievements, including SRN 2023 Best EP for the latter, and recently opening for celebrated alt artist Blonde Redhead.
“‘Scenes’ attempts to layer various concepts of observing the warm routines of communities,” explains Annemarie, “being ok with not feeling connected to those natural rituals, absorbing the feeling of community through observing it, and a long hot summer day as it fades into the concrete.”
Made with the support of NZ On Air, the ‘Scenes’ music video was made by visual artist Spencer Hall, based on the concept of “flying over the hills from the perspective of the wind.” A stunning result of Spencer and Annemarie’s reflections on perspective and community, the video follows the abstract imagery of an egg dissolving into the world around it, and ends with “pieces of houses floating around as if they’re crystals in the middle of space.”
“To me, that conveys the song theme - the fond observing of humans in community and family, and home, despite feeling separated from it like many of us do. Then feeling the warmness of that fade into a sense of calm.”
Watch the video HERE
Alongside today’s track and music video, is a groundbreaking living digital visualiser - also illustrated by Spencer, but controlled by real-time weather data from Lyttelton via the MetService API. Each day, at sunrise and sunset, the music video for ‘Scenes’ plays. Developed by Annemarie’s Cusp Art Studio, it uses art to connect the audience with real-time weather patterns in Banks Peninsula.
This new art tech team aims to make live data more accessible to the public, facilitating better data literacy, understanding and transparency. Endless possibilities await these creative data visualisations, such as the illustration of real-time impacts of climate change, and equipping consumers with a better understanding of corporations' sustainability measures.
Watch the livestream HERE
With the release of ‘Scenes’, the launch of Cusp Art Studio, and a range of exciting creative projects on the horizon, T. G. Shand is proving to be a pioneering figure in the Aotearoa alternative music and visual space!
Find T.G Shand
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‘MUSE AND MUSICIAN’ NEW SINGLE FROM AOTEAROA ARTIST JUST JANIE
Just Janie’s Muse and Musician is “at its core, an appreciation of what it means to be a musician.” Janie shares “I wanted to explore the idea of what creating art and sharing that art does to one's psyche.”
South Island artist Just Janie releases her beautiful new single ‘Muse and Musician’ today (July 5).
Just Janie’s Muse and Musician is “at its core, an appreciation of what it means to be a musician.” Janie shares “I wanted to explore the idea of what creating art and sharing that art does to one's psyche.”
“Muse and Musician was loosely inspired by Fleetwood Mac, as well as many women (and men) who have been considered a muse when they have a unique talent of their own. In Fleetwood Mac's case, the musicians wrote songs about one another and then performed these songs together, sharing their experiences for the whole world. That's an incredibly vulnerable and intense ability to give yourself in that way to your music”.
“When I first write a song, it often hurts” Janie elaborates. “It breaks my heart to sing some of my songs initially, but it is healing at the same time. Eventually you learn to live with and cope with those memories. And so, the song takes on a new meaning, for someone else.”
Just Janie's captivating and tender music draws inspiration from the folk scene of the late sixties and early seventies. Janie describes herself as a “folk singer songwriter, with a case of nostalgia for the Laurel Canyon daydream.” Her lyrical landscapes offer an intimate raw window into her experiences of love and loss, the disillusion of rose-tinted memories, and what it means to write and perform music.
Speaking to the lyrical meaning of ‘Muse and Musician’ Janie shares “I have many muses, but I also think my idea of a muse is different from its original meaning. In Greek mythology, it was often seen as the source of inspiration, but the Muse was just that, the source. People who I view as a muse often inspire my art because of the incredible work they do, whether that is music, art, or something else entirely. They are their own individual with ideas and depth. That translates into the song as well. The ‘Muse’ isn’t just someone else's inspiration.”
Janie writes music as a form of creative therapy, and a way to release her thoughts and feelings into another place. “My grandma Suey used to say that you should write your worries onto a piece of paper, then throw the paper in the bin. I’ve carried this idea with me throughout my life, and I bring this approach into my song writing.”
This cathartic process has been so transformative in Janie's life it led her to study a Postgraduate Diploma in Arts Therapy at Whitecliffe College and a Bachelor of Arts, Majoring in Education and Minoring in Psychology and Writing, at the University of Otago. “I wanted to share the way the arts had helped me with others,” says Janie.
Her passion has led her to work in mental health and arts, working as a facilitator of Central Otago’s Creative Outreach Programme, a non-profit organisation which works to help individuals struggling with their mental wellbeing post covid to find connection with creativity in their communities. Most recently Janie has stepped into a role working at Ōtautahi Creative Wellbeing as an artworker, providing equitable access for creative wellbeing in the community.
'Muse and Musician' music video was filmed in Central Otago by Seung Woo Hong. “I wrote the song here in Cambrian, and so it felt complete to film the video at home, in my world” says Janie.
'Muse and Musician' is the third and final single on Just Janie's EP release, following 'Love Letter to Myself' (released January 5) and 'Nostalgia' (released March 29) recorded in the Blue Mountains with Australian producers Rick Turnock and Abby Smith (Smith and Jones).
Just Janie’s single and music video 'Muse and Musician’ is available now (July 5) from all streaming platforms.
MOUSEY Releases New Single 'Dog Park'
“Sometimes the most harmful thing someone has said to me has been quite forgettable for the person who said it. The axe forgets, but the tree remembers. I wrote this song in about 10 minutes—it just fell out, without even a thought of references. I felt it and went from there. It’s quite simple, there’s not much to it.”
PRAISE FOR MOUSEY
“Why isn’t this Christchurch indie-pop artist huge already? Sarena Close is clearly a solid songwriter with range, depth, and a great voice to boot.” - RNZ
“Close’s faultless vocals hold your hand and walk you through a dozen sunny, folk-pop cuts.” - Under the Radar
“Even just a cursory listen would tell you there is a great depth of lyrical, vocal and songwriting talent here.” - Elsewhere.co.nz
“Her voice is thick as maple syrup, coloring with dark supple shades of amber that is as haunting as it is necessary.” - B-Sides & Badlands
Since her surprisingly fully formed and beautifully surprising debut album Lemon Law landed in 2019, Mousey - the songwriting nom de plume of Ōtautahi’s Sarena Close - has been slowly but surely honing her craft. Her 2022’s album My Friends drew praise from all corners, with Rolling Stone Australia noting “Mousey’s lyricism and songwriting are excellent, bolstered by the album’s phenomenal production”.
Now, once dubbed by Radio New Zealand as “one of the brighter young talents on the New Zealand music scene”, this APRA Silver Scroll nominee returns with her first utterance since My Friends with her new single, 'Dog Park,' showcases Mousey's raw emotional depth and unique musical style.
Mousey offers insight into the genesis of 'Dog Park,' stating, “Sometimes the most harmful thing someone has said to me has been quite forgettable for the person who said it. The axe forgets, but the tree remembers. I wrote this song in about 10 minutes—it just fell out, without even a thought of references. I felt it and went from there. It’s quite simple, there’s not much to it.”
She continues, “I love the moody, brooding feel of this song. It sounds like how I feel on the inside. I know that’s super cheesy, but whatever. The title is a dig at a family member for making me feel disposable compared to the family dog.”
Ōtautahi producer Will McGillivray (There's a Tuesday, The Butlers) lent his expertise to 'Dog Park,' enhancing its moody atmosphere and bringing Mousey's vision to life.
In celebration of launching new music, Mousey has shared one more track today, intended as a digital B-Side titled, ‘Opener’. “I just wanted to try it out! I really appreciate when other artists do it. It lets you start building a style, and Opener really goes hand in hand with Dog Park in terms of that dark and moody, brooding side of my current songwriting.”
Anna Coddington releases collaboration with Troy Kingi ahead of her album release, TE WHAKAMIHA, out on Matariki
A collaboration with Troy Kingi, ‘Honey Back’ shows a soulful side of the album, with Coddington and Kingi playing both sides of a (fictional) relationship gone wrong.
Pre-save and purchase limited edition vinyl here
Ahead of her new album release on Matariki (Friday June 28), Anna Coddington drops another taste of the album and its funk-filled sound.
A collaboration with Troy Kingi, ‘Honey Back’ shows a soulful side of the album, with Coddington and Kingi playing both sides of a (fictional) relationship gone wrong. It arrives with a video again created by band member Fen Ikner, capturing heartfelt performances from both vocalists.
‘Honey Back’ is just one of the highlights from an album full of them. TE WHAKAMIHA, a bilingual body of work in te reo Māori and English, features the previously released single ‘Kātuarehe’, and is released this Friday, June 28, on Matariki.
The album moves effortlessly from te reo Māori to English, bringing a sound that Coddington has herself described loosely as “Māori funk”. Across eight tracks, the album encompasses Prince-inspired funk, neo-soul, R&B and disco vibes, presenting te reo Māori in a unique style and sound. Playful throughout with memorable hooks and singalong choruses in both te reo and English, TE WHAKAMIHA is a release with its own vibe and style, yet distinctly belongs to Coddington.
The album’s title TE WHAKAMIHA comes from a rough translation of the name of Coddington’s longtime band - The Appreciations. The name also expresses gratitude to Coddington’s dual journeys in music and in te reo Māori. After spending years studying te reo Māori, 2021 saw Coddington release MANA-WĀ-HINE, an award-winning release featuring tracks from the album BEAMS translated into te reo Māori. TE WHAKAMIHA is Coddington’s first entirely new project created in te reo Māori, with sprinklings of English throughout.
Black Comet ‘Sleep’
Following on from the release of ‘Ooh Yeah Baby’, the first single of their upcoming album ‘Episode One: Looking For a New Planet’, Black Comet bring you a smoky remix of ‘Sleep’.
Following on from the release of ‘Ooh Yeah Baby’, the first single of their upcoming album ‘Episode One: Looking For a New Planet’, Black Comet bring you a smoky remix of ‘Sleep’.
Frontman Laughton Kora describes ‘Sleep’ as “Being with someone or something you love. And not to be able to lay in the same bed together would be the end of their world! Wanting to stay in the dream state for as long as possible”.
With the addition of vocals from Louis Baker, this remix takes the already smooth tune into a whole different dimension.
‘Episode 1: Looking For a New Planet’ will be landing on August 2nd. Supporting the release Black Comet will be hitting the road doing a 9-date tour with Wanaka being sold out already! Tickets available from Undertheradar.co.nz.
Seeing Black Comet live will have your body hypnotised into grooving by the funky vibes.
Pre-save Link:
YAHYAH Releases Whetū Rere
Celebrating Matariki, YAHYAH drops Whetū Rere, a stunning Waiata that was written as part of Te Reo Songhubs
Celebrating Matariki, YAHYAH drops Whetū Rere, a stunning Waiata that was written as part of Te Reo Songhubs(Curated by Bic Runga).
"Whetū Rere is a song about returning home. Finding meaning in the stars to guide you back to what truly matters. Family. Your roots. Back to the earth that cultivated the very being of who you are. It’s acknowledging the impact of your homeland and for me, coming back home was a decision to be refreshed and renewed and closer to whānau. It’s been exactly what my soul and mental health has needed. This song is a reminder of what’s important to me and hopefully it will resonate and encourage others". - YAHYAH
Whetū Rere is out Thursday 27th June. The music video directed by Tom Grut will drop the week following.
https://ffm.to/wheturere
FIND YAHYAH
ZED RELEASE NEW SINGLE ‘PLAY’
Zed’s latest single uses a playful melody and lyrics to explore the risks of deciding to bet on someone that has already let you down.
Is it worth playing a game with someone that doesn’t play by the rules?
Zed’s latest single uses a playful melody and lyrics to explore the risks of deciding to bet on someone that has already let you down.
Ben says “putting a song to Andy’s funky disco inspired grooves was such a treat, we’re stoked with where this track ended up, exploring something of a new sonic direction for Zed. It’s gonna be very fun to play live”.
Play is out now, with the album Future Memory out this August.
https://ffm.to/zedplay
FIND ZED
Troy Kingi releases Silicone Booby Trap single from forthcoming album ‘Leatherman & the Mojave Green’
Album no.8 ‘Leatherman & the Mojave Green’ is a homecoming of sorts for Troy, returning to the genre of music that ultimately enticed him in to the music industry, rock music.
Album No.8 ‘Leatherman & the Mojave Green’ for release August 16th 2024
For Media - Stream / Download “Silicone Booby Trap”
Album no.8 ‘Leatherman & the Mojave Green’ is a homecoming of sorts for Troy, returning to the genre of music that ultimately enticed him in to the music industry, rock music.
Inspired in his mid teens by so many artists that have come from or created in the Mojave Desert regions ( Kyuss, QOTSA, Eagles of Death Metal) it was an easy decision for Troy to record this album in the home of Desert Rock: Joshua Tree, in a studio synonymous with that sound 'Rancho de la Luna'.
Rancho is run by Dave Catching,a legend in his right(QOTSA, Eagles of Death Metal, The Mojave Lords etc), and being entrenched in that environment with such deep folklore and rich rocky tapestry, Troys album seemingly formed itself - borrowing sweaty heat from the sandy desert, eclectic melodies from the sunlit mountains, ancient rhythms from sacred caves and a sharp pointy punch from the Joshua Tree Cactus.
In the midst of song writing Troy was asked to write and perform a song with Dave Catching on the forthcoming Rancho De La Lunas 30th Anniversary Album along side many of Troys musical Heroes. In addition, he will now be playing shows in Vegas and LA, along side those same legends.
Troy Kingi is a story teller, each album immersed in rich worlds, which inform the writing. ‘Leatherman & the Mojave Green’ takes us out into the desert, where we hear a myriad of stories, one in particular talking of the Sunshine Community Cult tattooing their eyeballs allowing them to stare at the sun and receive its many blessings.
The album, is accompanied by a 4 part documentary series “Troy Kingi’s Desert Hikoi”, directed by Tom Hern (The Panthers, The Dark Horse, Guns Akimbo, Shadow in the Clouds), featuring Serj Tankian, Brant Bjork, Dave Catching and many many more OG's of the Califiornian Rock scene. “Troy Kingi’s Desert Hikoi” Premiers on TVNZ+ on demand in May 1st.
Troy Kingi, on his time in the Mojave Desert
“The trip to Joshua Tree was a timely Godsend - at a pivotal point where I had hit a wall, a blockage, I was waning, struggling creatively with were to go to next with my music, the whole 10/10/10 thing, had it finally broken me?
Being in this place - one of the holiest of holys for me, the birthplace of the greatest rock album of all time ‘ songs for the deaf’ - it was hard not to be inspired by it all - by the crazy Martian like landscape, the people, the foreign-ness, songs started forming in my dreams, rushing to me from the heated horizon, I found my thing again - and it seemed to flow easily like it once did when I first started my journey 8 years ago. The sound we found is definitely different, it’s the most aggressive sound I’ve ever created. “ Troy Kingi
Produced with long time collaborator TeMatera Smith, AllGood Absolute Alternative Records (AAARecords). Ocelli is out May 24th on all Digital Platforms
“Leatherman & the Mojave Green ” is out August 16th 2024
CD / LP through AllGood Absolute Alternative Records (AAARecords) / Border and available on all digital platforms.