This week Tony is joined by RNZ Music contributor Waveney Russ and RNZ Christchurch studio operator Alex Harmer, to bring you six brand new tunes.
Gorillaz - The Pink Phantom ft. Elton John and 6LACK
Waveney: “I was a bit of a comic book nerd back in the day, so I really like the dark Looney Tunes vibe that they’ve got going on in all their videos. As for the song… I can’t think of a single track where an up-and-coming rapper and a real golden oldie are together, and I’ve loved it. I just had this really deep internalised cringe”.
Sweet Whirl - Sweetness
Alex: “I get a bit sad when everyone uses laptop sounds. I’m worried that not enough drummers are getting employed. They just get pushed to the wayside. But it’s a beautifully written song, and she has an incredible voice.”
Harper Finn - Dance Away These Days
Waveney: “This track is huge. I love this track. In the music video he’s doing this really loose-limbed dancing under a spotlight. He has this moptop, brown curly hair, and he’s shaking his limbs everywhere like he just doesn’t care. I think his aesthetic alongside his sound have really hit the mark. This could be massive.”
Machinedrum - Ur2yung
Tony: “It’s so summery and feel-good. I love the sound of the kick drum, and it does that thing where everything ducks under it (sidechain compression). It makes everything so dynamic. An acoustic guitar comes in at one point, there’s just lots of these lovely little details.”
Coffin Club - Going Down
Tony: “When I Googled this band I found an ad from June where they were looking for a new drummer… or possibly their first drummer? It’s really rough around the edges obviously, but I do think it’s accessible enough that it could almost be a Mint Chicks song - it’s pretty poppy. Pretty catchy.”
Chris William – Don’t Forget
Alex: “Chris is an interesting cat. It’s such a juxtaposition for me because he writes such really serious, heartfelt music, but he’s so funny in real life. Hilarious guy. Really great comic timing. I’ve always been impressed with his amazing bass playing, and he really shows it off here - if you listen to the end of the track there’s some amazing bass fills.”
