Premiere: New Age Leper Share Single 'The Tragic Tale Of A Self​-​Obsessed Man'

Wellington psychedelic artists New Age Leper have unveiled a blazed single titled 'The Tragic Tale Of A Self​-​Obsessed Man', following on from last year's The Day The Stranger Came EP. The new tune is as labyrinthine as its title, snakelike guitar melodies and timeless stoner rock riffs hammer home the song's metaphysical lyrical message, in between mind-expanding instrumental passages. The band were recently showcased on the mammoth Doomed & Stoned In New Zealand roundup of New Zealand heavy music groups, future moves include a video and a tantalising full-length collection. We caught up with singer and guitarist Bjørn Christianson about his ideas surrounding the new single, read his words and listen to 'The Tragic Tale Of A Self​-​Obsessed Man' below...

"I initially penned the lyrics and came up with opening riff and verse after having a difference of opinion with an old friend. We both have pretty big egos and I realised pretty quickly that this was the case. Thus the idea of the song being around self-obsession came to life. I felt frustrated at the time of writing the track and wanted someone else to listen to my thoughts and views, but the reality is that the world is full of people pushing their opinions and ideals onto others. My thoughts are just as relevant / irrelevant as the next persons. Felix (Faisandier, bass) was away in Europe at the time and myself and Callum (Worsley) started working on the skeleton of song. We had just met Levon (Mason, our brand new drummer at the time) and it was the first song we started writing with him. It was fun doing something fresh and new with someone we had never written with before. Upon Felix's return we showed him the song and the final piece fell into place.

At this stage as band, rather than focusing on shows, we are currently writing and recording new material. We're already planning our next single. Our next show will be in Central Hawkes Bay at the Sanctuary Sounds Festival in December. We will be looking at a run of festivals during this time."