Release Roundup: Erny Belle, Eyeliner, Nicky By Nicky, Brandn Shiraz, LILSTIFFY + More

It's been a big week including UTR's win of the He Tohu Kahurangi (Outstanding Achievement Award) at the 2023 SRN Awards (we partied to SRN Top 10 number one winners Grecco Romank at Hollywood Avondale's Halloween rager afterwards), and we're looking forward to a doozy of a weekend coming up too. Let us gaze through the crystal ball at this week's news coverage of Half Hexagon, the TAUTOKO GAZA fundraiser compilation, Warm Regards, Georgia Lines, Koizilla, The Cavemen, Demons of Noon and Sam Cullen, then explore even more new local release highlights from Erny Belle, Nicky By Nicky, Brandn Shiraz, LILSTIFFY, Eyeliner, French Concession, Deathtrippa, Emmanuelle, Coast Arcade, and Rita Mae.

Finalist for both the 2023 Taite Music Prize and Auckland Live Best Independent Debut Award, Pacific-Pop songwriter Erny Belle today releases her very keenly awaited second studio album Not Your Cupid via Flying Nun Records — plus a video for latest single 'Inertia' (by Belle and Matt Hunter). "I didn’t think this was all possible. It feels like a fever dream! Roundhead Studios is such a luscious space and we all worked together with an unspoken synergy that felt very predestined. I’m grateful for the love everyone poured in. I laughed myself to death. Thank you to my band — Tiare Kelly, Jackson Hobbs, Dave Khan, Rewi McLay and Navakatoa Tekela-Pule. Thanks to De Stevens (A force of nature), who mixed, engineered and co-produced the record. Thanks, Semisi Ma’ia’i for co-piloting the vocal production. A dream come true."

The solo project of former Cut Of Your Hands frontman Nick Johnston, Nicky By Nicky unveiled sumptuously soulful new track 'All Around U' — "Single #1 from 4 Songs EP". You can join the artist for an intimate release event at Tāmaki Makaurau's Freida Margolis on 25th November with support from Lucola, tickets available HERE.

Driving force behind some of the finest hip hop tracks to emerge from Aotearoa in recent years, ever-inventive rapper Brandn Shiraz returned home to Rarotonga to make the clip for new LSJ-produced banger 'junior' — filmed by Devan Narsai and directed by Bryce Selu Tobin.

One aspect of that same constellation of stellar Aotearoa talent that includes SoundCanvas Ultra, Tender Moonlight, I Drink Your Blood and more, electronic dance producer LILSTIFFY makes a welcome return with the lushly vibe-dripping, club-thumping textures of 'Venom' — a teaser track from next studio album SPEEDRUNNER.

Aotearoa's MIDI-pop / vaporwave magnate Eyeliner's fifth studio album brb is out this Saturday via UK imprint My Pet Flamingo — I've had an advance listen and can confirm it's simply terrific. Thankfully we can all experience the sublime tunefulness of lead tracks 'Baby' and 'Uptown Virtual' in the meantime. "I was in an apartment in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong for two years during covid, microdosing psychedelics and listening to lots of Sade, anyway here's Baby".

Now based in Sydney, Aotearoa/ Hong Kong electronic practitioner French Concession returns to our airwaves with sonically vivid new single 'Holy Vision'. "Holy Vision" is a religious space folklore hailing from the very heart of the asteroid. It is a testament to the boundless ingenuity of humanity, revered as a beacon of hope and adaptation in the face of an uncertain future among the stars".

Pōneke cybergrind artist Deathtrippa reemerged with digitally deranged visuals for the equally wild 'i forgive u :)', from February's DEATHTRIPPA SZN EP.

Tāmaki Makaurau's rising pop-punk crew Coast Arcade keep the energy high in their new summer banger 'Kiss Like This'. Look forward to an accompanying video for the anthem this coming February.

Tāmaki Makaurau's Emmanuelle collaborates with fellow emotive songwriting star Lontalius on new single 'Undertow' (no relation to the Tool anthem) — the lead track from an upcoming EP.

Launching a deluxe version of her SUPERFEELING EP on 24th November, Muriwai songwriter Rita Mae today shares bonus tune from the same sessions 'Nightmare'. "It’s about when the process of getting over a heartbreak causes actual physical pain. The process is written about as a physical place that you go to ‘get better’ — the nightmare! ...it continued to haunt me. I felt like it had to come out as a bonus track because it simply wouldn't leave me alone".