Music News

Weekly Round Up: Friday 9th February

Friday 9th February, 2018 3:41PM

It's been a rock-solid week for releases and tour news as we power into the year. Exciting international tour announcements included Australian duo DZ Deathrays will be bringing their energetic 'THRASH'-pop to New Zealand this April and Austrian metal group Belphegor will blast our ears into oblivion this coming May. Local tours to look forward to include youthful Auckland post-punk combo Yukon Era's upcoming North Island tour this March, emo-punk duo Carb On Carb's forthcoming Australasian tour kicking off this February, and Auckland alt-pop big band Carnivorous Plant Society's upcoming album release tour of the North Island.

We were stoked to chat with Wellington witch-rockers Hex about their forthcoming album and journey to South By Southwest. Likewise, we had a great time chatting and hanging out with critically acclaimed South London rapper Loyle Carner, who played here last week at Auckland's Laneway Festival 2018. Our resident metal maniac Fluffy had a great yarn with US death grind group Cattle Decapitation, whose tour of New Zealand continues this weekend.

The crucial local releases came thick and fast. Auckland-based rapper Coco Solid dropped her long-awaited new mixtape COKES on Waitangi Day, and Marlon Williams shared a light-hearted sporty new video that same day. Unknown Mortal Orchestra debuted the first video from their upcoming album Sex & Food, Lawrence Arabia unveiled the first single from his 2018 Singles Club, SWIDT dropped a nine-track collection of bonus cuts from their hit album Stoneyhunga, and Wellington singer and producer Stef Animal finally released her excellent debut album Top Gear.

Our Caught Live video for this week features Detroit post-punks Protomartyr, who'll be visiting New Zealand for the first time ever this month. Here's recent footage of the band ripping through a moody rendition of their tune 'My Children' at Lincoln Hall in Chicago...