CAROLINE POLACHEK / PHOTO BY AIDEN ZAMIRI
WRITING BY CARLA CAMILLERI

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SAMPA THE GREAT - 'HEALER'

Zambian born, Botswanian raised, Australian-based artist Sampa The Great has been making waves with their lush poetry and deep-hitting beatscapes. Their 2017 mixtape exhibits an exploration of identity and dives into genres such as hip-hop, afro-beat, reggae, soul and jazz. As the project closer, 'Healer' represents a sort of catharsis; a coming into one's self, an affirmation of self-love. Bathing in a series of acoustic loop-builds, the song is a gentle waft of fresh air with repeated lush melodies affirming a sense of tranquility. 

You can find this track on Sampa The Great's album Birds And The BEE9, available via the Flying Nun Record Shop here. 

BLONDIE - 'ONCE I HAD A LOVE (AKA THE DISCO SONG)'

We all know 'Heart of Glass', Blondie's wistful woe of lost, disappointing love — but have you ever heard its beginnings as 'The Disco Song'?  Originally written as a demo in 1974-75 by Debbie Ryan and Chris Stein, 'Once I Had A Love' is slightly more understated, leaning more into the guitar strums, the sparsity giving Ryan's voice even more of a displeased tone. It's a fantastic twist of their most popular song, and very much worth a listen. 

Find this track on Parallel Lines by Blondie via the Flying Nun Record Shop here. 

ROY IRWIN - 'CLOVER'

Tāmaki Makaurau-based songwriter Roy Irwin reemerges with a new song 'Clover', which is immediately captivating with its sweet melody whistling atop a chugging, danceable beat. 'Clover' tackles the impossible feelings of losing a parent, but keeps a warm glow ignited throughout the song, paying a beautiful homage to their mother's spirit. 

"I don't think grief ever goes away but it is really about the hopelessness and disregard for being alive when things feel worthless but ultimately still wanting to push through those feelings and having the desire to be your best for others.
The video for 'Clover' was compiled and shot by my friend Morgan Leary, it was pretty last minute but I talked with Morgan about it being somewhat reflective of the person my mum was. She loved nature, simple pleasures and also had a vivid imagination and somewhat of a spiritual gift." — Roy Irwin via UTR.

Support Roy's new track via their Bandcamp here. 

SURF FRIENDS - 'SOMETHING REAL'

Indie two-piece Surf Friends make their welcome return with the announcement of their first full-length project in almost four years - Sonic Waves - out digitally and on CD March 17 2023 via Flying Nun Records. To celebrate the announcement of Sonic Waves, Surf Friends have revealed the album’s first sun-drenched single, ‘Something Real’. From the sound of the song’s first strums, the dynamic duo take their listeners on a visceral sonic ride that embodies the weightless, euphoric feeling of hot summer days. The song is accompanied by a self-directed music video which perfectly captures the organic, carefree sentiment that the song emits, featuring Brad Coley (of Surf Friends)'s camping adventures with his kids and a few other bits of surfing footage.

You can preorder the Surf Friends' upcoming album Sonic Waves via the Flying Nun Record store here.

DAVID KILGOUR & THE HEAVY EIGHTS - 'DIAMOND MINE'

David Kilgour (The Clean) and The Heavy Eights recorded their 2011 album Left By Soft in an old lodge in the Caitlins — about two hours south of Ōtepoti — surrounded by bush and birds. His heavenly pop sensibilities are all over the album, particularly in the album's first single 'Diamond Mine', which features gorgeous melodies and glistening guitar chords and solos. Sitting at over six minutes long, the song bathes in the Kilgour's expansive songwriting, allowing you to drift away amongst its breezy, enveloping tones.

This song is on the album Left By Soft available via the Flying Nun Record store here. 

SOFT PLASTICS - 'DISEMBODY'

Te Whanganui-A-Tara-based indie outfit Soft Plastics have announced their heavily anticipated debut album Saturn Return, and have shared their first song 'Disembody'. The song is fantastic, chugging along slowly with a grounded sensibility and arriving smoothly at its vast, emotional climax. The video, directed by Stella Reid, is also great, with an awesome concept.

"Disembody strikes the balance between raw emotion and humour that Soft Plastics does so well. It has playful performances, and a chance for the band to rock out. There’s still something that drives Soft Plastics songs forward — even at a slower pace, they never take their foot off the gas," - Stella Reid.

You can preorder Soft Plastics' new album Saturn Return via the Flying Nun Record Shop here. 

CAROLINE POLACHEK - 'BILLIONS'

You may not know it, but Caroline Polachek has been in the music game for a while now. Starting out in the classical world, playing in indie two-piece Chairlift, collaborating with various projects such as Blood Orange and Ice Choir, and making her way onto the songwriting credits on Beyonce's 2011 album 4, there is no denying that she has worked her way to genius status. But being a musical chameleon means that solo projects can be more difficult to set in the ground — however this could not be falser of Caroline Polachek, who adopted her birth name to come out of the woods with her debut solo exhibition, Pang, in 2019, which was so rich in Polachek's vision. Her hotly anticipated follow-up, Desire, I Want To Turn Into You, has been teased with various singles for over a year now, one of which being 'Billions'. There is no pop music out there quite like it; built on traditional baroque music and vocal techniques and swimming in shimmering ideas and ear-bending sonics. It is truly intelligent, transcendent pop, and if you haven't listened to her music, it's about time you did!

This song is on Caroline Polachek's upcoming album Desire, I Want To Turn Into You available for preorder via the Flying Nun Record Shop here. 

ARIDNI ORCA - 'CRUSHED'

Speaking of ear-bending sonics, you may have heard of local sound artist Aridni Orca under their former alias Indi (whose album we released on Flying Nun in 2018). 'Crushed' is their latest showcase of brilliance. Waves of glistening synth layers, whispered, textured vocals and hard hitting beatscapes trickle and dissolve into beautiful harp passages, blending an absolutely unreal kaleidoscope of sound. Aridni Orca is a fantastic artist, and I'm very excited to see what they will do next. 

You can support Aridni Orca's new song via their Bandcamp here. 

NOSAJ THING - 'CONTINUA' FEAT. DUVAL TIMOTHY

'Continua' is the title track of producer Nosaj Things' latest album, as well as its introduction. The project is one that sees a lot of collaboration, and this track in particular pairs its moody atmospherics with pianist Duval Timothy's lush, chordal explorations. 

This song is on Nosaj Thing's new album Continua — the vinyl is available to preorder via the Flying Nun Record shop here. 

IFIWEREME - 'DANCE YOUR HEART OUT'

I have been raving about local artist ifiwereme (AKA Costa Glass) for a while now, but I can't recommend his music enough. His new album, Water Buffalo is out today, and its final single 'Dance Your Heart Out' is my favourite. The song presents ifiwereme's signature grey-toned vocals atop warm synths, sweetened by his sister Eliana Glass' voice as the track diffuses into an infectious, danceable soft-bop . Divine!

"The single speaks about dance floor dissociation over an upbeat feel. Imagining storylines and reflecting on past nights out, I found myself in a place where I could have fun lamenting all the shoddy nights out." - ifiwereme

You can support ifiwereme's new track and save his new album Water Buffalo via Bandcamp here. 

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