New Zealand Music News — Aotearoa | New Zealand

Soaked Oats / Photo by Paige Jansen. Soaked Oats have been busy cooking up catchy psych-rock singles in the lead up to the release of their upcoming album, Working Title. Today, they serve us another glimpse into the forthcoming record, which will be out on November 18th via Australian indie label Dot Dash/Remote Control. 'Headline Opinion' explores the fascinating and sometimes disingenuous global absorption of news and information in today's oversaturated climate. The track seems to rotate around the same guitar and backing vocal motif like an incessant (but very catchy) regurgitation of information, as lead singer Oscar Mein tersely narrates. As the song progresses, the...

After a three-year long hiatus, Laneway Festival was announced and tickets sold out in a flash. And when we say a flash, we mean a three-hour, never-before-seen sell out that nobody saw coming.  This morning, Laneway Festival have announced that they will be moving next year's festival to Western Springs - and if you missed out on tickets, you will be very pleased to know that more tickets will be going on sale. A new pre-sale starts Wednesday 26 October at 9am and will be available for Laneway subscribers and anyone who missed out and was registered for the original pre-sale. General...

Soft Plastics / Photo by Lewis Ferris On the eve of their performance at Tāmaki Makaurau's Others Way Festival, Pōneke-based indie outfit Soft Plastics (Sophie Scott-Maunder, Jonathan Shirley, and Laura Robinson) have released a new track - 'Easy To Forget'.  "'Easy to Forget' was our attempt at writing a happy indie-pop song", says lead vocalist Sophie Scott-Maunder. "The song is about being in a long-distance relationship, discovering how to be alone without forgetting who you left behind.""I came up with the intro and verse riff while I was falling asleep. I brought it to Sophie and we wrote the chorus and pieced...

Princess Chelsea and Jonathan Bree / photo via Lil' Chief Jonathan Bree and Princess Chelsea have reunited to celebrate Lil' Chief Records' 20th Anniversary with a new song - 'Destiny'. The song takes strides away from the whimsical world of 'The Cigarette Duet' and the sunshine pop of 'Kiss My Lips' to dive head-first into darker, more minimal waves that feel colder than usual  - yet as fun as ever.    The pair's hushed vocals infectiously fold amongst pulsating bases and sweet, melodious synths. Bree and PC singing the words together, as label mates and ex-lovers, paints the song a deeper shade of blue, the track's 80's pastiche glossing it all over...