SAME NAME CONFUSION RELEASES NEW ALBUM ‘SNC’ AND ANNOUNCES NZ/AU RELEASE SHOWS

Enigmatic band Same Name Confusion is making a return, and doing it their way. After a multi-year hiatus, the Auckland / Melbourne-based group is returning with their second full-length album, SNC. Born across distance and refined over time with intentional, "slow" songwriting, the record captures a groove-focused, Randy Newman inspired record with a knack for finding the playful, romantic (and occasionally absurd) beauty in everyday life. 

“I’m just singing about my ordinary life, the most ordinary things. And I’m talking about these things in the way that comes natural to me. I’m usually poking fun at myself and the people around me… that’s how I am in real life too.” (Luke Courtney)

“For me this record is a groove record. It’s meant for dancing or at the very least tapping your toes with a grin.” (Andrej Radosavljevic)

SNC is a trans-Tasman collaboration, with formerly Christchurch, then Wellington co-writers Luke Courtney and Andrej Radosavljevic now split between Auckland and Melbourne, bouncing demos back and forth for months before finally bringing it all together with a full band. With songs written over a span of years, Luke and Andrej would go through a number of iterations before bringing it to the band where long-time collaborator Josh Dominikovich translated MIDI drum grooves into real life, and new recruits Arran Cargill-Brown, Logan McAllister, Ensai August and Dayle Jellyman helped create basslines and other parts that served the song. Finally, the band spent 3 days recording with James Goldsmith at The Surgery Studio in Wellington, where they tracked all the songs live, in the room, with as little overdubs as possible to make sure it felt as organic as they could. 

“One of the things I hoped to capture on this record, other than great songs, was for the listener to feel like they were in the room with us and I think James did a great job of that.” (Andrej Radosavljevic) 

---

---

Serving as the standout focus track for the album release, “What’s the Winter Like in Istanbul?” is a simmering, groove-laden highlight built on a thumping beat, slow-building live intensity, and spontaneous group improvisation.

The track began life as a laptop demo built around a syncopated off-beat bassline and high chorused guitars that channel early Talking Heads, which naturally morphed into a sinister, Rolling Stones-style dancefloor thump across jam sessions. Engineered by James Goldsmith, the track was recorded without a click track to preserve the band’s natural, unconstrained push-and-pull tempo, climaxing with an arpeggiated synth outro tweaked live on the fly.

“I knew we had something when I looked out into the control booth of the studio while playing and James was bouncing around.” - Andrej

Lyrically, the song traces back to an unlikely friendship Luke formed at the University of Auckland with a visiting Turkish PhD student who bonded with him over the works of Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard. Driven by self-deprecating humour and an acute awareness of his own isolation at the bottom of the world, Luke uses the track to explore the miracle of cross-cultural connection—and the charming ignorance that often comes with it.

“It’s a miracle that we ever met each other in the first place, let alone hit it off (“How the hell do we get on okay?”). The way I get at this is, of course, by poking fun at myself - of my isolation and unworldliness down here at the bottom of the world. (“It’s a marvel how we’ve talked a lot / I took my people skills from the WeetBix box”).”

“This friendship was a crash course in a different culture for me. I was so nervous about religious ignorance that when I wrote the lyrics, I actually had to email her to ask if it was offensive to mention ‘hell’ in a song about our friendship—she was very kind about it!” - Luke

SNC is the second full-length album from Same Name Confusion, and is out now via Winegum Records. The album is available on vinyl via Winegum Records, Bandcamp and retail stores across New Zealand / Australia. SNC can also be streamed on all digital platforms now. 

To celebrate the album, Same Name Confusion will be playing shows in November across Auckland, Wellington and Melbourne.

From Hendo to London: MOHI Meets the World

The West Auckland made artist introduces his truest sound yet on “Māori Kid Meets World”, arriving Friday 18 September during Te Wiki o te Reo Māori.

For the first part of his career, award winning artist, MOHI, made the music he thought he was supposed to make. On Māori Kid Meets World, he steps beyond that polished image and introduces the person behind it: a funny, sharp-edged and fiercely ambitious Māori kid from Henderson with a rich, unmistakable voice.

The new 12-track album dives deeper into a process of reflection and self-discovery that began in earlier songs such as “Flowers in Hendo” from his prior album, “Flowers That Grow From Concrete Pavements”. Created primarily by MOHI and APRA Silver Scroll winning producer/songwriter, Noema Te Hau III, Māori Kid Meets World moves naturally between te reo Māori and English while exploring the experience of living across te ao Māori and a predominantly Pākehā world—the tensions, humour and contradictions of carrying both cultural realities at once.

Alternative R&B forms the album’s foundation, but its character comes from the tension between sweetness and bite. Its closest reference points are Dijon and Mk.gee, not as templates, but in their loose, performance-led approach and willingness to leave texture, movement and imperfection in the music. MOHI’s rich voice remains the centre of gravity, surrounded by expressive guitars, layered backing vocals and warm, unpredictable keys and synths. Savant, Leonardo Coghini contributes keys/synths throughout, while Jordyn with a Why, HOPE and Asha Maihi (Dreamer) add backing vocals. Recorded at BIG FAN, the album was produced, recorded, mixed and mastered by Te Hau, with support from NZ On Air Music and Te Māngai Pāho.

At its centre is “Dreamer,” a song about the moment ambition must become action. Lead single “Happy Snappa” turns that idea into a journey from Henderson to London, named after the iconically average fish-and-chip shop opposite Waitākere Hospital. Filled with specific West Auckland landmarks, humour and a refusal to make the dream smaller, the song captures the personality driving the wider album. As MOHI puts it, “cheap talk don’t make rent any cheaper.”

That ambition has already shaped an eventful 2026. MOHI performed music from the landmark Waiata Anthems album with the Auckland Philharmonia at Auckland Town Hall. His long-standing love of rugby also developed into a collaboration with the All Blacks, who contributed backing vocals to “Taniwha,” an anthem written by MOHI and Te Hau for the team’s Matariki celebrations.

---

---

The album’s release now intersects with a wider movement. Through the new 4 The Masses initiative, MOHI will join a kura tour connecting rangatahi with waiata and contemporary Māori artists. He then travels to London as part of Te Reo Māori is Global, recording at Abbey Road Studios with Jordyn with a Why, HOPE and Ngāti Rānana before presenting his album at a public showcase at Pacific Tavern.

For MOHI, London is more than a release destination. It marks the beginning of an international chapter and a larger ambition to carry his bilingual artistry beyond Aotearoa. His reo Māori writing is not a strategic addition to the music; it reflects how he speaks, thinks and creates. Māori Kid Meets World is modern Māori confidence in motion, grounded in Hendo and ready to travel.

MOHI says:
“I spent the first part of my career making the music I thought I was meant to make. This album is me backing the person I truly am. If you have a dream, eventually you have to stop talking about it, shoot your shot and do the work.”

Luna and the Aether announce ‘The Metanoia Album Tour’

Visceral, heavy and expansive, Luna and the Aether’s debut album ‘Metanoia’ is “a record that presents itself both as a musical statement and as a pilgrimage through grief, surrender, forgiveness and spiritual renewal.” - John Hastings, 13th Floor.

The project, birthed at the convergence of tenderness and turmoil, blend ethereal textures, heavy rock elements and vulnerability. Luna's dark folk essence exists at the heart of theisheavy instrumentation, “moving between moments of intimacy and intensity” - John Hastings, 13th Floor. 

Exploring themes of repentance, alchemy, death and forgiveness through lyricism laced in imagery of temples, healers and spirituality. Luna and the Aether bring an element of catharsis to their every performance.

See them live this spring in a city near you, to be enveloped by crushing riffs and walls of noise, and be entranced by Luna’s haunting vocals and profound lyrical craftsmanship.

‘Metanoia’ is out now on all platforms. Vinyl coming soon.

---

---

Friday 16th October - Ōtepoti/Dunedin - Pearl Diver

Saturday 24th October - Pōneke/Wellington - MOON

Friday 30th October - Ōtautahi/Christchurch - A Rolling Stone

Niccolo Piccolo releases debut bilingual album for tamariki, TE NGAHERE

---

Just in time for Te Wiki o te Reo Māori and
Te Marama Pūoru Waiata Māori 

---

Niccolo Piccolo (aka award-winning Aotearoa country-folk artist Nicola Mitchell (Ngāti Maniapoto)) has released her joyful debut album for tamariki - TE NGAHERE.

Perfectly timed for Te Wiki o te Reo Māori (Māori Language Week) and Te Marama Pūoru Waiata Māori (Māori Music Month), Niccolo Piccolo’s kaupapa is all about bringing people together to learn and celebrate te reo Māori, te ao Māori and the natural world around us.

TE NGAHERE is an adventure into te taiao (the natural world) and te reo Māori, exploring reo with waiata about waka, manu (birds) and our beautiful ngahere (forest/bush). Designed to spark curiosity in busy little minds, these waiata are packed with opportunities for tamariki and the whole whānau to sing along.

The album opens with ‘Tukua Rā’, a karakia whakatūwhera (opening karakia), before moving through previously released waiata ‘Tama te Tūī’, ‘The Bellbirds’, ‘Row My Waka’ and ‘Mauri Ora’, alongside ‘Hurihuri’ and ‘Kody the Kiwi’. ‘Ko Wai Ahau’ explores identity, while ‘Ka Kakakaka’ brings playful language learning to the collection with an arero whīwhiwhi, a tongue twister.

At the heart of the album sits title track ‘Te Ngahere’, a waiata inspired by the beauty and abundance of the forest.

Te rahinga o te ngahere te ātaahua o te ngahere.

The abundance of the forest is what makes it beautiful.

The musical journey continues with ‘I Te Ao, i Te Pō’ and ‘Ngā Korimako’, before wrapping up with a karakia whakakapi (closing karakia) ‘Tuia Te Iwi’.

For Niccolo Piccolo, TE NGAHERE is about creating a welcoming space where everyone can participate, learn from one another and celebrate our differences.

“Our differences in reo, what we can learn from each other, and our differences as humans are what make sharing our language with each other so beautiful,” says Niccolo Piccolo.

---

---

“As a reo learner myself, I hope that’s the message that whānau can take away from TE NGAHERE - that they feel welcome to be a part of this kaupapa, no matter where they’re at on their reo haerenga.”

The waiata on TE NGAHERE were created with support from mātanga reo Kommi Tamati-Elliffe (Kāi Tahu, Te Āti Awa, Ngāti Mutunga, Ngāti Tama) and THEIA (Em-Haley Kukutai-Walker, Waikato, Ngaati Tiipa), alongside performances from Michael Muggeridge (mandolin), Michael Story (double bass), Yodelling and Harmonies from  Maegan Mitchell (Ngāti Maniapoto), featuring guest vocals from Quack Pirihi (Te Tai Tokerau, Patuharakeke), Jazmin Tainui Mihi (Te Whānau-ā-Apanui, Whakatōhea, Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Hine), Māwhero Kenny (Kāi Tahu) with mixing by Tom Broome and engineering and mastering by Troy Kelly.

Made with the support of Te Māngai Pāho, Creative New Zealand and the APRA Aotearoa Mentorship Programme, where Nicola was mentored by multi-disciplinary artist and APRA Maioha Award recipient Byllie-jean (Ngāti Kahungunu ki Heretaunga, Ngāti Pāhauwera).

With its blend of te reo Māori and English, karakia, playful wordplay, memorable melodies, rhythm, storytelling, movement and songs inspired by the ngahere, TE NGAHERE is an invitation for whānau to listen, sing, learn, have fun, and explore together - wherever they may be on their reo haerenga!

FROM INSPIRATION TO COLLABORATION: LETOA AND MELODOWNZ UNITE ON “RAGE QUIT”

Leading the release is “RAGE QUIT (MELO REMIX)”, a reimagining of Letoa’s high energy collaboration with longtime friend and creative partner Lames, now featuring Auckland artist MELODOWNZ. The remix adds a new dimension to the original record while keeping its core energy intact, bringing together three distinct voices across a track built for pure momentum.

For Letoa, the collaboration carries a deeper significance. Having looked up to MELODOWNZ during his early days as an artist, sharing a record with him now represents a full circle moment and a major milestone in his journey. Following their recent collaboration on “DAILY BREAD” from MELODOWNZ’s album BRON, “RAGE QUIT (MELO REMIX)” marks another step in their growing creative relationship.

The remix retains the punchy drums, infectious bounce, and Memphis phonk and trap influence that drive the original. Letoa and Lames’ performances remain untouched, preserving the chemistry at the heart of the track, while MELODOWNZ brings a fresh presence that adds another layer to its relentless energy.

Rather than simply revisiting the original, the remix expands on what made “RAGE QUIT” stand out in the first place. Letoa’s dynamic delivery, Lames’ laid back approach, and MELODOWNZ’s distinct style create a new dynamic without losing the identity of the record.

Accompanying the remix is a cinematic black and white music video directed by Christian Munokoa, with cinematography split between Matavai Taulangau and Jack Rottier. Rottier captures Lames’ portion in Los Angeles, while Taulangau shoots the remaining footage in Auckland, bringing together two locations while maintaining a consistent visual identity. The video was edited by Tung Bui, who previously worked with Letoa on the “MEDUSA” music video, with photography by Maria Philp.

Moving between gothic architecture, gritty urban locations, and clean, stripped back backgrounds, the visual uses sharp cinematic cuts and contrasting environments to mirror the energy of the remix. The black and white treatment ties the different locations together, creating a unified aesthetic while giving each artist their own visual space within the film.

“RAGE QUIT (MELO REMIX)” is ultimately both an evolution of the original and a milestone for Letoa, bringing together longtime creative chemistry, new collaboration, and a full circle moment with an artist who played a role in inspiring his journey.

---

---

Letoaalii Hughes, professionally known as Letoa, is a 22 year old Samoan Australian artist based in New Zealand, an award winning artist, and an early pioneer of the Aesthetic Rap movement. In 2026, Letoa was awarded the Arch Angel Independence Award at the Pacific Music Awards, recognising his work as an independent artist building a global career while remaining connected to his Pacific roots. Blending heritage, innovation, and independence, his sound pushes beyond borders while staying deeply rooted in Pacific identity.

Born in Suva, Fiji, to a Samoan German mother and an Australian Armenian father, Letoa was raised in a musically rich family, with ties to the iconic Keil Isles Band. His upbringing spanned Brisbane and Samoa, where freestyle sessions, family radio, and early creative experimentation shaped his artistic voice.

At just 16, he performed his first headline show in Samoa with his collective OSKK. After moving to Auckland in 2019, his music gained global traction during the 2020 lockdown, reaching audiences across the USA, Europe, and beyond. His debut EP Glocstarr V1, featuring breakout track “ICE COLD,” positioned him as a defining voice in his lane.

Fully independent, Letoa has built a sustainable career, toured internationally, and shared stages with underground heavyweights while supporting tours across New Zealand and Australia. His single “Chiropractor” earned a nomination at the Rolling Stone New Zealand Awards, further establishing his presence within the region’s evolving music landscape.

With over 300 million streams, Letoa represents a new generation of artists creating globally while staying grounded in culture, independence, and identity.

PAIGE INTRODUCES A NEW ERA WITH PLAYFUL R&B/POP SINGLE ‘HYPOCRITE’

Auckland singer-songwriter Paige is entering a new era with the release of ‘Hypocrite’, a fun, energetic introduction to the artist’s evolving R&B/pop sound.

Playful and self-aware, ‘Hypocrite’ embraces the contradictions that come with being human, taking ownership of our imperfections rather than taking ourselves too seriously. The track marks a fresh sonic direction for Paige, leaning further into the R&B influences that have long been woven through her songwriting while retaining her signature soulful vocals, smooth harmonies and infectious pop sensibility.

On the track, Paige says: “I wrote hypocrite as an introduction to the new R&B/Pop era I’m entering. The concept was inspired by the idea that not all of us are perfect humans, owning that reality, and leaning into the fun of that. Sonically, it could be compared to artists like Ariana Grande or Kehlani”.

Written at APRA SongHubs alongside Joel Jones (NZ), Mi-kaisha (AU) and Shungudzo (US), the track brings together an impressive team of songwriters whose credits span artists including Little Mix, The Chainsmokers, Kylie Minogue and Victoria Monét.

‘Hypocrite’ arrives at a pivotal moment for Paige, now an independent artist and stepping into a new chapter creatively and professionally. The release signals a confident evolution for an artist who has already built a significant international audience, with more than 70 million streams worldwide, a certified Platinum record in South Korea, a certified Gold record in New Zealand and a 130,000-strong online audience.

Paige’s rise has seen her earn Top 10 airplay in New Zealand, four Aotearoa Music Award nominations and a #17 position on China’s QQ Music chart, alongside more than 20 million streams in South Korea alone. She has sold out headline shows across New Zealand, Australia and South Korea, performed at festivals including Rhythm & Vines, Bay Dreams, Homegrown and Soundsplash, and supported the likes of George Ezra, Ruel, Alec Benjamin, Holly Humberstone, G Flip and Nina Nesbitt.

Now, with ‘Hypocrite’, Paige is ready to introduce the next version of herself - independent, R&B-led and unafraid to embrace the messy, imperfect parts of being human.

---

---

JASON PARKER ENTERS A NEW ERA WITH “ONE WEEK SOBER” AND ANNOUNCES ALBUM “WHAT MAKES A MAN”.

Jason Parker returns on 25 September 2026 with “One Week Sober,” the lead single and opening track from his forthcoming album, “What Makes a Man”, through Bigpop Records.

Written when Parker had some introspective downtime while recovering from an injury, “One Week Sober” is themed  around a  period without drinking. Parker treats that experience as the starting point for a broader question: what happens when a habit, a relationship or a familiar version of yourself has become so tied to your identity that letting it go leaves you asking, "Who am I without this?"

In the song, Parker describes  the bottle as an unreliable friend: magnetic, familiar and always present, but incapable of loving him back. The excitement and intimacy of a night out sit uncomfortably alongside the loneliness hiding beneath, as the chorus moves between the question “Am I enough?” and its increasingly certain and defiant answer: “I am, I am, I am.” 

That resolution is deliberately imperfect. Even at his most self-assured, Parker admits that he is still terrified of getting things wrong. Growth is not presented as a full transformation or a declaration of complete healing. Instead, “One Week Sober” captures the quieter, more difficult process of recognising an old pattern, questioning what it has given you and choosing to move forward differently. 

“One Week Sober began with a true story, but it was never really about drinking," says Parker. "It's about the habits that quietly become part of who we are, even after they stop giving us anything back, leaving you with question am I enough without this? I don't have it figured out. I'm still scared of getting it wrong. But I'm learning to believe I'm worthy of happiness anyway.”

Wrapped in hook laden instrumentation, "One Week Sober" was co-written alongside Will Henderson, Chris Bates and Maude Minnie Morris, and produced and mixed by Morris, who also worked on Parkers EP, Fairy Bread, it introduces the deeper, more grounded sound of What Makes a Man. Across its ten tracks, the album explores the identities people inherit, perform and eventually outgrow. Parker examines his relationships, tracing the ways those connections can shape, challenge and reflect on who we are.

“One Week Sober” is the first song to be released. The single's visual world places Parker in a pink-and-white rugby setting, reworking one of Aotearoa's most familiar symbols of masculinity through the same camp visual language that Parker built for himself after leaving the farm he grew up on in Waipukurau for Auckland. It's an early look at the album's wider question: who gets to decide what a man should look like?

That question runs through Parker's work off the record too. He founded and still curates Little Gay In, a queer artist showcase that's highlighted queer talent from all over New Zealand since 2023, and "One Week Sober" also marks a reconnection with that same audience and community. "I've taken some time out, and I hope people are happy to hear from me again," he says. "I just can't wait to see everyone.

"One Week Sober" is out 25 September 2026 through Tāmaki Makaurau label Bigpop Records. What Makes a Man will follow.

---

Jason Parker is an Aotearoa pop artist whose bright, emotionally direct music explores identity, relationships, belonging and self-worth. Pairing smile-inducing pop with the private questions people often struggle to say aloud, Parker creates music that makes space for queer joy, vulnerability and connection.

Following the release of Fairy Bread, Parker expanded his confidence as a performer through an appearance in Priscilla, Queen of the Desert at Auckland’s Civic Theatre in 2025. His forthcoming album, What Makes a Man, represents his most grounded, collaborative and self-defined body of work to date.

vegetable.machine.animal album release tour – Mauao/Mount show

The arts festival arrives early on Oct 7th when The Mount Tavern [305 Maunganui Road] hosts vegetable.machine.animal on their ‘Trio’ album release tour where the electrical signals of living plants and fungi are transformed into sound; where modular synths are fused with live percussion in a performance that will be spontaneous, rhythmic, unpredictable and unforgettable.

Supported by local vocal-supernova, avant poet punk songstress, indie rock, rhythm guitarist, StellaVision will be joined by Will Velouria/Punktuation King to open the show at 7pm.

And sandwiched in the middle of the weirdness is Tauranga’s newest 4-piece band, Violetta & the Vendettas where smokey jazz vocal prowess meets delay-laden, indie guitar sounds that evoke the feeling of gliding across a wave on a sunny day, where you are living in the soundtrack of your own longboarding movie.

Come early for happy hour and to sample some of the great food The Mount Tavern has on offer and add a vegetable.machine.animal cocktail or mocktail to your evening for a truly unique experience.

Entry is FREE! So you can enjoy the hospitality of the good people of The Mount Tavern.

---

---

5pm dinner service starts

7pm StellaVision

7:45 Violetta & the Vendettas

8:30 vegetable.machine.animal

9:30 show FIN and home for bed early on a school nite!