Dead Cherry Drop Explosive Debut Single “Quirk”
Wellington-based four-piece rock band Dead Cherry unleash their highly anticipated debut single, ‘Quirk’ — a raw, unapologetic slice of rock 'n' roll that perfectly captures the band’s high-energy live sound.
Wellington-based four-piece rock band Dead Cherry unleash their highly anticipated debut single, ‘Quirk’ — a raw, unapologetic slice of rock 'n' roll that perfectly captures the band’s high-energy live sound. Fronted by the electric and unforgettable Jodie Gummer, the band has spent years honing their craft through raucous covers gigs across the country. Now, they’re stepping into the spotlight with original material that fuses hard-hitting rock, danceable rhythms, and pop rock melodies built on strong storytelling.
‘Quirk’ is a celebration of powerful femininity, wrapped in gritty guitars, pounding rhythms, and unapologetic attitude — brought to life with an equally fierce and captivating music video. Written from the perspective of women about women — but with the punch of a classic male-perspective rock anthem — the track celebrates those magnetic women who carry an unspoken allure — who effortlessly command a room with an a magnetic presence and you can’t quite explain why. “I like writing songs that empower women and make them feel good,” says Jodie. “I wanted something raw, something that feels like a straight-up rock song but with a twist — like the girls were writing about themselves.” Recorded with minimal production, the single showcases the band's pure, unfiltered sound and undeniable chemistry.
From Jodie’s commanding stage presence and soaring vocals to Beau Redding’s Southern blues-infused guitar licks, and the airtight rhythm section of Andy (drums) and David “Chops” (bass) — Dead Cherry are the real deal. Their debut offering proves they’re not just a covers band gone original — they’re a band ready to take centre stage. With “Quirk” setting the tone for what’s to come, Dead Cherry are a fresh force in Aotearoa’s rock scene — and they’re only just getting started.
PICKLE DARLING announces new album 'Bots', due September 5th, + New single 'Congratulations Champion'
'Congratulations Champion' is a timestamp of sorts; a mosaic of one-liners pulled from Mayo’s phone notes and set to a melody that slots in like a missing puzzle piece. It’s a song of small, specific heartbreaks, strung together with warmth and warped logic.
Praise for Pickle Darling:
“Pickle Darling’s music captures and inspires an intricate sense of wonder… with each new release Pickle Darling expands their charming sonic cosmos filled with vibrant, intimate bedroom-pop vignettes.” - Crack Magazine
"Built on bright synths and drum machines, it’s Mayo’s familiar off-kilter indie-pop, just a little bigger." - Rolling Stone AU/NZ
"'Bedroom-pop' wiz" - Under The Radar
"Christchurch’s Pickle Darling (Lukas Mayo) has gone epic... Early promise really flowering." - The Listener
Pickle Darling shares a final single 'Congratulations Champion' and re-announces their new album Bots (previously Battlebots) out 5th September via Father/Daughter Records. Lukas Mayo, the artist behind Pickle Darling, has always thrived in the margins, favouring quiet devotion over quick virality, patience over polish. On Bots, their most fractured and sonically unruly album to date, Mayo quite literally pushed their computer to its limits. Songs were layered until files became unopenable, and in some cases, abandoned entirely. It’s a fitting collapse for a record about emotional static, creative friction, and the strange beauty found in ruin.
'Congratulations Champion' is a timestamp of sorts; a mosaic of one-liners pulled from Mayo’s phone notes and set to a melody that slots in like a missing puzzle piece. It’s a song of small, specific heartbreaks, strung together with warmth and warped logic. The standout lyric, “You know I’m gonna love you still / Like black mold loves the windowsill,” lands somewhere between devotion and decay, a perfect encapsulation of Bots’ tone: earnest, unsettling, and strangely sweet. Out 5th September via Father/Daughter Records, Bots is the latest chapter in Pickle Darling’s ongoing exploration of how broken things can still feel whole.
Speaking on the track, Pickle Darling says: "This one collects a bunch of stand alone lines I’ve had on my phone. Some songs function purely as a timestamp for me, it has so many things in it that point to a specific moment in 2022. I was listening to a lot of R.E.M., at the time, I love melodies that kind of just ‘slot’ into place."
Mayo didn’t set out to break their laptop while making Bots, but in the end, the machine just couldn’t take it. Files became too heavy, too unwieldy, too layered with chopped-up guitar notes, warped voice memos, and fractured drum loops. Some songs weren’t finished so much as abandoned, because the computer simply refused to open them anymore. That moment felt fitting. An album about breaking apart, about friction and collapse, should probably come with a little destruction of its own.
Pickle Darling has always existed just outside of the periphery. In a heightened time of fast music, algorithmic consumption and rapid virality, Mayo has remained focused on the album. Their discography is a reflection of their creative evolution, and they deliberately look for ways to push sonic boundaries from release to release. Since debuting with Bigness in 2019 followed by Cosmonaut in 2021, Mayo has curated a catalog that is deeply personal and strangely tactile, where tiny, unexpected details—an off-kilter loop, a whispered aside, the warmth of an old Casio—become as crucial as melody itself. Their 2023 LP Laundromat was a precise and polished expansion of that world, a record that felt like it had been carefully placed behind glass. It garnered praise from Mojo, Rolling Stone Australia, The Line of Best Fit, and led to a live performance on the beloved New Zealand children’s TV program, What Now.
That friction of old and new, organic and digital, melody and noise is what drives Bots. Mayo drew inspiration from a strange, scattered lineage: Four Tet’s Rounds, The Books, Neneh Cherry’s Broken Politics, The Wrens’ Three types of reading ambiguity, but also the emotional directness of 2000s pop like Madonna’s Ray of Light and Robyn’s Body Talk. The album opens with 'Obsolete,' featuring a voice memo from songwriter Ava Mirzadegan. It takes a full two minutes before Mayo's voice emerges, hesitant but clear. Later, there's 'Massive Everything,' which Mayo describes as the closest they've ever come to writing a pop song. And then there’s Bots’ most striking couplet, from 'Congratulations Champion': "You know I’m gonna love you still / Like black mold loves the windowsill." It’s as sweet as a strawberry on the edge of rotting.
The title Bots itself is a reference to clashing ideologies—internally and externally, between past and present versions, between the desire to create something and the frustration of the process. It’s a reflection of how our thoughts never settle, how music is never really about one singular thing, how an album can hold a hundred tiny conflicts at once. And in that way, it mirrors life itself. It’s an album built from fragments, from warped sounds and half-memories, stitched together into something that still somehow pulses with life. It’s not just a standalone piece, it’s another chapter in the world Pickle Darling has been quietly building all along.
To mark the release, Pickle Darling will play a series of intimate in-store shows around Aotearoa – just Lukas and a guitar, stripped-back and tender:
September 5th – Slowboat Records, Wellington – 4.30pm
September 6th – Flying Out, Auckland – 2.00pm
September 11th – Penny Lane Records, Christchurch
TSENATE Drops New Single “ALL IN,” A Playful Anthem Leading Sophomore EP 'ALL IN'
Rising R&B sensation TSENATE has released her latest single ‘ALL IN,’ the leading track from her upcoming sophomore EP ‘ALL IN’ - a cheeky and liberating track that invites listeners into a new era of the artist’s musical and personal journey.
Rising R&B sensation TSENATE has released her latest single ‘ALL IN,’ the leading track from her upcoming sophomore EP ‘ALL IN’. Written by TSENATE and produced by HAMLEY, ‘ALL IN’ is a cheeky and liberating track that invites listeners into a new era of the artist’s musical and personal journey.
The release is accompanied by a vibrant lyric video, directed and edited by Zara Fahey and Michelle Kilburn, featuring behind-the-scenes moments from the press shoot, photographed by Alice Naish.
ALL IN now available on all streaming platforms
Following a successful debut headline show at The Workers Club Fitzroy to an enthusiastic crowd, TSENATE is stepping wholeheartedly into the spotlight as one of Melbourne’s most exciting new voices.
Sonically, ‘ALL IN’ dives into a pop-R&B fusion, drawing inspiration from genre-defining artists like Victoria Monét, Tate McRae, and Tinashe. The track ventures into more dynamic production styles and layered vocal textures, reflecting TSENATE’s growing confidence both on and off stage.
‘ALL IN’ is TSENATE like you've never heard her before. Bold, sensual, and completely unfiltered. TSENATE shares “this song represents an exciting time where I was discovering a new, playful side of myself that I hadn’t fully tapped into yet.”
Fresh From a Scholarship Writing Camp in Seattle and LA Writing Sessions, 17 YO Imani-J Releases Her Debut EP ‘EXPECTATIONS’
This September 4, the singer-songwriter, dancer, and performer will release her debut EP, ‘EXPECTATIONS’ - a deeply personal project exploring the pressures she places on herself, as well as those from relationships, identity, school, and career.
At just 17, Imani-J is already carving out a powerful voice in the R&B and Afrobeats scene.
This September 4, the singer-songwriter, dancer, and performer will release her debut EP, ‘EXPECTATIONS’ - a deeply personal project exploring the pressures she places on herself, as well as those from relationships, identity, school, and career.
In July, Imani-J travelled to the US for a writing trip in LA and Seattle, performing internationally at Seattle’s The Kitchen and collaborating with Max Levin, Bam Marley (embargoed), Antoine Harris. This September, she’ll take her sound even further with a three-week writing residency in London, working alongside UK producers Subculture, BINA, Dom Valentino, and GG.
Career Highlights So Far:
• Scholarship recipient for Prodigy Writing Camp, Seattle — mentored by Chapell Roan (embargoed)
• First international performance at The Kitchen, Seattle
• Studio collaborations in LA with Bam Marley (embargoed), Max Levin, and Antoine Harris
• Winner of Victoria Vibes Festival opening slot, Auckland
• Afrobeats Stage performance at Newtown Festival, Wellington
• Three-day APRA mentorship with Tiki Taane
• Music sync on Shortland Street with track “Blue Goodbyes”
Upcoming:
• Opening act for Where’s Jai — San Fran, Wellington (Aug 23)
• Writing residency in London — Sept 6–20
• Second international performance — The Grace, Islington, London (September 17)
• Summer tour planned for 2025/26
Crystal Chen Opens Her Heart in Soulful New Ballad Stop. — A Tender Prelude to Her Debut Album Announcement You Can Call Me CC
Today, Chinese-New Zealand singer, musician, and visual artist Crystal Chen shares her new single, “Stop.” and announces her debut studio album You can call me CC releasing on Friday 5th September 2025.
Today, Chinese-New Zealand singer, musician, and visual artist Crystal Chen shares her new single, “Stop.” and announces her debut studio album You can call me CC releasing on Friday 5th September 2025.
Since 2022, Crystal Chen has been carving out a space uniquely her own, crafting songs that reflect her most authentic self with each release. Her 2024 standout singles “Love Letter” and “Kiss It Better” are powerful testaments to that evolution, ushering in a bold new chapter: the beginning of her debut studio album, You can call me CC.
Stop. is a slow-burning, tender ballad that glows with lush live instrumentation, capturing the intimacy of Crystal’s jazz and soul influences. Inspired by the emotional core of cult classic movie Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, the song explores the desire to forget someone and escape the weight of their memory, yet ultimately surrenders to the beauty and ache of having loved at all. Rather than avoiding the pain, “Stop.” embraces it, offering a touching reflection on loss, memory, and acceptance.
Drawing inspiration from the soulful elegance of Minnie Riperton and the classic charm of Burt Bacharach, the song blends ‘70s ballad nostalgia with a modern emotional edge – a seamless fusion of Crystal and producer Joe Kaptein’s shared vision and artistry. Originally written with Noema Te Hau with New Music Development funding from NZ On Air as an intimate acoustic piece about heartbreak, the track found new life in Joe’s hands. His lush arrangement, sparkling with delicate percussion and expressive keyboard solos, beautifully frames Crystal’s tender harmonies as she explores themes of longing and disconnection with raw vulnerability.
The cover image of the song features a self-portrait of CC alongside the rare annual-night-blooming flower ‘The Queen of the Night’, which was grown and cared for by her own mother since she was a child. Crystal says “Stop.” is inspired by this special moment when the flower finally blooms, saying that, “Love to me feels like ‘The Queen of the Night’ flower. I adore and cherish its presence, yet I face the grief of its loss when I wake up the next day and the flower has wilted. I can find comfort that it may or may not bloom year after year, because everything is a cycle. Just like how when I first wrote this song I was heartbroken, but eventually found myself in a new relationship after the song was completed with the album”.
“Stop.” is the final single before her debut studio album You can call me CC releases on Friday 5th September, with an upcoming live show planned for early September.
Watch KISS IT BETTER music video out now — made with support from NZ On Air.
Find Crystal Chen online
Instagram | Facebook | TikTok | Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube | Bandcamp | Website
dān dān announces end of august (hand-pulled noodles)
Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland-based folk-pop artist dān dān returns with her second solo single, end of august (hand-pulled noodles). A bittersweet reflection on distance, desire, and the quiet ache of making peace with something as it slips away.
AUDIO & VISUALISER OUT FRIDAY 30 AUGUST
Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland-based folk-pop artist dān dān returns with her second solo single, end of august (hand-pulled noodles).
A bittersweet reflection on distance, desire, and the quiet ache of making peace with something as it slips away.
As one half of wasian sibling duo Ersha Island 二沙岛, dān dān has been known for her bilingual storytelling and emotionally rich compositions. Her solo work leans into the playful and poetic, exploring food, identity, and culture with softness and clarity.
Following the success of her debut single ‘pressure cooker’ supported by NZ On Air and featured on Rolling Stone Australia/NZ - dān dān continues to craft a distinct space for diasporic voices in contemporary indie-pop.
”‘end of august (hand-pulled noodles)’ is about the feeling of knowing something’s ending before it actually does, and being okay with that. It’s about turning what could be bitter into something tender, something sweet, something worth savouring, even as as you watch it inevitably slip away.” dān dān shares.
Produced by Dan Martin with strings featuring sibling Tee Hao-Aickin, the track blends warm acoustics with layered harmonies and ambient textures, sitting somewhere between Lizzy McAlpine and a favourite comfort meal.
With an accompanying visualiser shot in Xi’An Food Bar on Dominion Road, end of august (hand-pulled noodles) sets the stage for dān dān’s upcoming debut EP — a gentle, self-assured project about food, love, and growing up between cultures.
Praise for pressure cooker
dān dān’s debut single pressure cooker made waves across Aotearoa and beyond, with its delicate storytelling and bilingual lyricism drawing attention from fans and press alike.
Juice TV: #1 in Top 20 Most Streamed Videos
Rolling Stone AU/NZ: Cover artist of
Best New Zealand Music of the Week: June 23rd-29th
“dān dān’s smooth vocal textures carry the evocative lyrics flawlessly as percussive arrangements and flowing key patterns ensue, enriched only by the creamy string work courtesy of the violin.”
“pressure cooker is not merely a melody to be heard; it is to be experienced… Sincere, sentimental and filled with raw human emotion… If this is her debut single, I cannot wait for more from this talented musician.”
“A soaring ballad… ”
The track was named Song of the Day by The 13th Floor, featured in Kick Drum Magazine,
profiled by AsianTones, and spotlighted on TAHI FM, Radio One 91FM, 95bFM, and mpre.
Made with the support of NZ On Air, pressure cooker was accompanied by a surrealist music video (with over 46k views on YouTube) inspired by Everything Everywhere All At Once, praised for its tender portrayal of a mother-daughter relationship across cultural and emotional universes.
The RVMES release new single Any Better Reason and announce upcoming 11-track album Boundary Issues and NZ tour
Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland - based band The RVMES are back with their mesmerizing new single Any Better Reason. It's a dark and rolling alt-rock track that sings about the unspoken connection you have with friends and family who will always have your back.
Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland - based band The RVMES are back with their mesmerizing new single Any Better Reason released via AAA Records. It's a dark and rolling alt-rock track that sings about the unspoken connection you have with friends and family who will always have your back.
Stream Any Better Reason here.
The single arrives alongside a one-take music video by TeMuri, shot at double speed before being slowed to match frontman Edwin Judd’s lips — and his sweet (and some may say questionable) dance moves. It’s a dreamy ride that pairs perfectly with the song's sonic signature.
Watch the Official Music Video here.
On top of all that excitement, The RVMES have just officially announced the release of their newest 11-track album Boundary Issues set for release on September 5th matched with an impressive NZ tour.
BOUNDARY ISSUES TOUR
THE RVMES
SEP 6 - Big Fan, Auckland
Support from Mojo Smooth & Velveteen Shakes
SEP 12 - Beer & Loathing, Whangarei
Support from OSHEEN & Mojo Smooth
SEP 19 - Waihi Beach Hotel, Waihi
Support from Strangely Arousing & Mojo Smooth
SEP 20 - The Yard, Raglan
Support from Retro Valley & Mojo Smooth
SEP 26 - Butlers Reef, New Plymouth
Support from The Mara & Mojo Smooth
SEP 27 - Meow, Wellington
Support from Devon Welch & Fortuna + Roy (DJ)
OCT 3 - Crabfarm Winery, Napier
Support from Nick Herbison & Mojo Smooth
OCT 4 - Smash Palace, Gisborne
Support TBA
Hannah Virk Releases Captivating New Album 'Pocket Clocks'
Featuring the futuristic single ‘Can’t Outpace the Algorithm’, the album showcases Hannah’s skills both as a singer-songwriter and budding producer, blending different beats and delving into the complexities of new technologies.
On Sunday 10th August 2025 Aotearoa New Zealand singer/producer/multi-instrumentalist Hannah Virk released her second album - the experimental and unabashed Pocket Clocks.
Featuring the futuristic single ‘Can’t Outpace the Algorithm’, the album showcases Hannah’s skills both as a singer-songwriter and budding producer, blending different beats and delving into the complexities of new technologies. Alongside this are songs Musos Club, which harks back to Hannah’s teenage days and Necklace from a Friend, a catchy pop song about hopes for a romance that could have been. The album is an exciting step for Hannah – who began here musical career after getting a guitar at age 30 and letting her creativity bloom.
In Hannah’s words, “Having only started my musical journey later in life, Pocket Clocks goes back and pulls through moments where I might have been inspired to write had I been in the mindset. In writing these songs as an adult, the moments are connected to their influence in the present and explore how those experiences shape us going forward. The songs on the album contrast different aspects of time - being the spontaneity of a split second (Glens) and the way that time passes by (Slowly Biting Youth).
Hannah Virks debut album, 2024’s Upstairs/Downstairs, launched her into the musical community of Aotearoa, putting her on the map as an independent artist. Hannah has found strength in the creative arts scene in her hometown of Wellington where she has been sharing her new found passions at Open Mic Nights across the city and hosted her own show 30 songs:30 years at the Wellington Fringe Festival 2025. She is determined to share her story with the hopes of inspiring others to unleash their creative talents. Upping the quirkiness and intrigue from her first release, Pocket Clocks delivers even more of the authenticity that Hannah has to offer.
Release Show
Hannah will be launching Pocket Clocks at a release show at the Undercurrent, Bookstore and Music Venue, Wellington Sunday November 2nd at 1pm. Hannah will be performing songs from her first album Upstairs/Downstairs and debuting live acoustic performances of her second album Pocket Clocks, released in August 2025.