A showcase of some of the best new music releases from the past week.
Zen Mantra – ‘Maybe I’ll See You In My Dreams’
Zen Mantra’s follow-up to ‘Second Skin’ is every bit as inviting, albeit heart-breaking. “I wish I could sleep through my life”, he pleads, “cause maybe I’ll see you in my dreams”. By the time the song reaches its apex, those little things that don’t realise you’ll miss are all laid out on the table. Get ready for some catharsis. The album’s out Friday.
October – ‘Switchblade’
Emma Logan – the Wellington-via-Blenheim musician who goes by the name October - is back with a new single, ‘Switchblade’, that’s lifted from her soon-to-be-released EP. As she puts it herself, “let it crawl its way to the dark little corner through the hole in your head … this song is a glare in the eye from me to you.” Familiarise yourself with her work right here.
PJ Harvey – ‘The Orange Monkey’
Brief and restless, ‘The Orange Monkey’ is the latest release from PJ Harvey’s first album in five years, The Hope Six Demolition Project. This one follows the lineage of previous singles ‘The Community Of Hope’ and ‘The Wheel’, which were penned after visiting Kosovo, Afghanistan and Washington D.C. over the past few years. “I took a plane to a foreign land,” she sings here, “and said, I’ll write down what I find”. What she discovers is happy chaos and streets that look like building sites. The record arrives this Friday.
Saturnian Noise Collective – Birth Of Mimas
Blending together free jazz, noise and experimental music, eight-piece outfit Saturnian Noise Collective have just released their off-centre new EP, Birth of Mimas. The group are based out of Auckland, but are currently in the midst of a tour which will take them through until the end of the month. If you’re down with what you hear, you can find out more here.
Unsanitary Napkin - Self Titled EP
Assembled with members from The Bent Folk and The All Seeing Hand, self-described anarcho-punks Unsanitary Napkin have blessed us with their hard and fast debut EP, which is out on cassette through Wellington label Zero Style. Look at that artwork though.