Throughout NZ Music Month we’ll be hearing stories from young musicians about the local songs they love the most. Today, Fazerdaze talks about songs from Dear Time's Waste, Kane Strang, Goodshirt, Street Chant and SJD.
Amelia Murray aka Fazerdaze. Photo: Si Moore.
Alt-pop bedroom artist Amelia Murray, who goes by the name Fazerdaze, released her six-song EP late last year, a release that showed much promise of things to come. While currently in Melbourne for a handful of tour dates, she shared her top five favourite New Zealand songs with us, including the one track that transports her to another world.
Dear Time’s Waste – ‘These Words Stick Me To You’
I listened to this song so much in the first few months of settling into Auckland three years ago. I had discovered Claire Duncan in a zine I picked up at Real Groovy and went home and checked out all her music. I really fell in love with this song and it basically summed up everything I was going through at the time. She’s such an amazing songwriter and I really love the production on this song too.
Kane Strang – ‘Two Hearts & No Brain’
Kane Strang is one of my favourite songwriters right now. I find this song and performance mesmerising. I like that Kane Strang has a strong pop sensibility in his music whilst still somehow being really wonky and fresh at the same time. I’m geekishly excited about his New Zealand tour coming up, I can’t wait to see him play live.
Goodshirt – ‘Sophie’
I remember watching this music video on my huge box television as a kid with the curtains drawn on a Saturday morning. This is such an anthem of a song and I’ve known it lyric to lyric for a long time now. When I first moved to Auckland, I didn’t know anybody so I started playing some open mic nights. The manager of one of the bars offered me a spot opening for Goodshirt at a Juice TV Naked Session, which is where I met Gareth Thomas (he wrote this song) and now he plays bass for me in Fazerdaze, which blows my mind.
Street Chant – ‘Stoned Again’
I first discovered Street Chant a few years back when they opened for The Datsuns at San Fransciso Bath House in Wellington. I really loved them and this song in particular hit me hard. I was in a weird gap year working long hours in retail and generally going a bit mad but this song made me feel sane again and like everything was going to be ok.
SJD – ‘Helensville’
This song came on the radio in my car not too long ago and it transported me to another world for five minutes. This song is effortlessly huge and epic and I love turning it up really loud and letting it wash over me. I hope lots of people hear this song.