Overview
Dubstep? Fuhgeddaboudit. Call me biased (I am a Kiwi, so you're probably right) but New Zealand artists have been making big waves in Australia recently in musical fields that have nothing to do with dubstep or flying anything, whether Conchords or Nuns.
Here are ten of our favourites, which while in name might seem alarming (hello Cut Off Your Hands and Die! Die! Die!) are really very pleasant to listen to.
1. UNKNOWN MORTAL ORCHESTRA
One of the best things to come our of New Zealand in the early '00s was The Mint Chicks, an experimental noise rock/schizo-pop trio who once played a gig so loud that part of the St James Theatre complex actually fell down. The psychedelic spin-off formed by Ruban Nielson is just as good, albeit a little lighter on the ears.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=gQSiiNrW8P4
2. OPOSSUM
Ruban's brother Kody (also ex Mint Chicks) own pop-sych project is Opossum, a more polished musical venture that also features Michael Logie and solo singer Bic Runga. See the video for single 'Blue Meanies' above, which comes from their excellent just-released album Electric Hawaii and features Kiwi model/ultimate babe Zippora Seven, and see them live this Friday in support of Jinja Safari.
3. LAWRENCE ARABIA
Blending the quintessentially Kiwi sounds of Flying Nun with influences ranging from classical songwriting to 1970s West Coast Americana, James Milne played bass in The Brunettes and the Ruby Suns before his alter ego Lawrence Arabia was born. His quirky low-key songs have earned him praise in New Zealand for years, but it was a move to London (and a job selling Kiwi goods to homesick expats) that allowed him to gain global recognition.
4. ELECTRIC WIRE HUSTLE
Wellington's Electric Wire Hustle have created a rather unique sound fusing hip hop, psychedelica, funk and soul. They're currently giving Europe a taste of their famously colourful live show (the Northern Hemisphere jumped on board the EWH bandwagon back in 2007), but unfortunately their Australian shows are considerably more sporadic.
5. CUT OFF YOUR HANDS
Cut Off Your Hands find influences in both the late '70s post-punk of Talking Heads and Gang of Four and the poppier sound encapsulated by the aforementioned Mint Chicks and This Night Creeps. The five-piece employ busy musical textures and soft harmonies to create a sound far more pleasant than the name suggests. Late last year the band toured Australia off the back of their album Hollow, which was recorded in Brent Harris' Auckland bedroom and mixed in Sydney.
6. SURF CITY
Don't be confused by the name, Surf City has little to do with the also-good-but-different sound of Wavves, Best Coast, Beach Fossils and Surfer Blood. They were originally called Kill Surf City before they found out another band had already seized that tag, and while the earlier name is a bit sinister it's well suited to the darker, janglier spin they put on an indie surf rock sound. We're eagerly awaiting the follow up to 2010's Kudos.
7. THE VIETNAM WAR
'High Window' is a single from Auckland's alt-country kids The Vietnam War. Though a debut effort the album rattles along like a rollicking, jovial, booze-stained war veteran (in the best way possible), and the video injects some welcome roadside Americana into the Kiwiana outfit.
8. GLASS VAULTS
Two boys from rural Manawatu who met at university in Wellington, Richard Larsen and Rowan Pierce make lush textural pop that sounds like nothing else coming out of the windy city. They are best known for 2010's Glass EP (and for recording it on Rowan's grandmother's farm) but new single 'Crystallise', the first offering from their upcoming debut album, promises that the best is yet to come.
9. DIE! DIE! DIE!
Thought their roots are in hardcore punk and their vocals deliciously abrasive, Die! Die! Die! put their own twist on noise pop with rhythms and drums that are both tight and danceable. As indefatigable as their name suggests, these guys are relentless at the gigging in between spitting out albums and will be playing a particularly exciting show at The Standard on Thursday 23 August.
10. STREET CHANT
Street Chant has been gigging around Auckland's K Road since 2007, brought into being by a teenage binge drinker, a girl who hated her current band and the fully sick drummer from Don Julio and the Hispanic Mechanic. Since then their sharp, ballsy brand of punk has been winning over fans everywhere from Auckland to Texas, where they drew a massive crowd playing SXSW with The Naked and Famous. The girls also have super rad wardrobes.
