Aldous Harding - Party

Beguiling. That’d be the word to use. Aldous’ stylings are distinctly her own, mystifying by way of Aotearoa. Ostensibly you’d call this folk music but there’s really no label that’ll do it justice. Harding flickers and haunts, she shimmers and stuns. The way she completely moulds her voice around her tunes demands attention and it’s like she has a different voice for every one of them. Don’t waste time with definition, just listen.

Mac DeMarco – This Old Dog

Trusty mate Mac, he doesn’t ever let you down. He’s expanded the musical palate for this album too, moving away from the dude with an acoustic guitar thing to incorporate a few more synthy sounds. It’s a natural evolution plus it allows him to stretch out once or twice amongst a set of otherwise tightly composed tracks. Everything’s so fit and focussed, it takes a few listens to glean the craft involved here and there’s nothing wrong with that: it’s good listening.

Russ - There's Really A Wolf

Capable of singing a melody and firing off a couple of bars over his own production, Russ appears to be a force that the music world will soon know all about. He's dropped a gang of projects prior to his first album 'There's Really A Wolf' and on his debut Russ balances romance, inspiration, the ills of fame and fortune as well as what is to come to near-perfection. There's plenty to enjoy as Russ can swiftly switch from raps to a silky hook, it's his perception on his 'come up' that offers a point of difference though.

Fazerdaze – Morningside

Must have been NZ Music Month because here’s another kiwi classic. Fazerdaze (aka Amelia Murray)’s debut longplayer has been hotly anticipated and it doesn’t disappoint. Sunny guitar pop with a hint of fuzziness, simple but insightful lyricism, great grooves and a general vibe of sweet as. Morningside for life.

Pokey LaFarge - Manic Revelations

It’s good old fashioned fun with Pokey. Riot in the Streets, for example. A little social commentary with a slight punk edge but still delivered in his timeless swinging way… which is quite a sad reflection on the ol’ inherent racism thing (also seemingly timeless). On a happier note there’s a song about overdosing on opiates in Wellington, New Zealand. Hooray. Production is slick, songwriting is sharp and there’s nobody who’s doing it like Monsieur LaFarge.

ICYTWAT - Milk

A member of the super funk Divine Council, ICYTWAT has branched off by himself to deliver his first album. Milk doesn't move too far away from general pimp shenanigans and this can get tiresome, allowing for the music to fill a void. If the lyrics aren't your vibe, then just enjoy the sounds that ICYTWAT enlists as it's impossible not to nod your head.

Daddy Issues – Deep Dream

Legend has it that lead singer Jenna Moynihan came across the band’s name tagged on a bathroom wall and thought it must’ve been some wicked all-chick punk group. It wasn’t… so she made it one. Daddy Issues straight up crush a pop-grunge sound, tunes sizzling with sardonic cool and balancing a little punk pessimism with some sweet vocal harmonies. Even a ‘Boys of Summer’ cover in there, a little ill-advised but at least it’s an improvement on the original.

(Sandy) Alex G – Rocket

One of bandcamp’s finest here and a feature on Frank Ocean’s Blond(e) which is worth pasting in the scrapbook for sure. Sandy/Alex makes defiant his intentions to, you know, stay true to his art and all that. So he ain’t afraid to mix things up and that sonic chop suey probably takes away from the overall album experience. However when he sticks to his hooks they’re fantastic and the instrumentals, while erratic in focus, are mostly quality. Chuck it on shuffle, you’ll go good.

POND – The Weather

An Aussie psych party with the fellas that make up the touring band of Tame Impala. This album makes a damn fine case that they ain’t living in Kevin Parker’s shadow, however. It’s 40 minutes of electric trippiness, a neo-prog kinda deal. Oh and there’s a conceptual theme about national identity and colonial immigration and all that extremely relevant stuff. Definitely challenging music but still funky and accessible. Like a good slice of psych oughta be.

Black Lips – Satan’s Graffiti Or God’s Art?

You don’t go wrong with Black Lips records. Their notorious brand of garage rock and roll has always been inflammatory and even now onto their eighth record and missing a few original members there’s no shortage of ideas. In fact there might be too many ideas, this record switches sounds like they’re going out of fashion, but they manage to wrangle the psychedelia, the space pop, the garage fuzz and the country weirdness within a loose concept, replete with interludes and overtures. Give it a few listens to sink in.

G Perico - All Blue

As West Coast hip hop is coming back strong, so too is gang representation and G Perico's rise reflects this. Reppin' blue, Perico also does what other rappers from Los Angeles have been able to do as he's putting a slight twist on old school G-Funk music, in a sense Perico is going back to the future. What sets Perico apart from others is his story-telling and debut album centres around sharing experiences from the streets in a audio-cinematic experience.