Friday Release Roundup - Theia, Rita Mae, deepState, AndWahn, Ebb + More

It's not only been pouring down with rain but also excellent musical releases on this wet 'n' wild Friday. I'll be stepping away from UTR's Tāmaki Makaurau office for the next two weeks due to my apartment being taken over by tradespeople (maybe these guys?), but readers will be in safe hands as none other than Annabel Kean (Sports Team) is returning to the site for a fortnight as Acting Editor! Check out this week's news coverage of Roy Irwin, Leaping Tiger, DARTZ, Soft Plastics and Surf Friends, and let's walk through even more significant selected local tunes / videos from the last seven days together — fresh releases by Theia, Rita Mae, Ebb, deepState, Andwahn, Polaroids of Polarbears, Dub Asylum and METHCHRIST...

Following a breakout 2022 for her reo Māori project TE KAAHU, Theia (Waikato-Tainui, Ngāti Tīpa) unveiled gloriously emotive pop ballad 'Pray 4 Me' with a visualiser directed and edited by Frances Carter (Wellness) — made with support from NZ On Air.

Playing this Saturday's Small Waves Mini-Fest at Leigh Sawmill Cafe with Heavy Chest, Casual Healing (performing solo), O & The Mo and more [tickets HERE], Rita Mae dropped soul-infused new pop anthem 'Superfeeling'.

Ōtautahi-based dance facilitators HAVEN launched their new black label series "which will be focused on the combination of UK bass flavours with the hard techno vibes we usually push" with a scorching track by Aotearoa producer Ebb — from the forthcoming Vague Weight Vol. 1 compilation launching on 24th February (vinyl orders via the Bandcamp link).

Tāmaki Makaurau electronic artist deepState unveiled a cinematic breaks-driven track from forthcoming new EP Butterfly​/​Starfield (including a remix by Ultraviolet) via Canterbury's Echo Train Records.

Speaking of Canterbury, the garden city's irrepressible The Big Fresh Collective kick off the year with considerable panache with four 160bpm heaters from AndWahn.

Fielding's Polaroids of Polarbears have no right to be so consistently catchy — hit play on their new fuzz-power-pop gem 'January 2023 - And I know ya'.

When all this wet weather goes away you can get your summer sizzling again with Dub Asylum's new rework of Savage's monster hit 'Swing'.

Munt your ears with 'Hate Commands' by Dunedin's Methchrist, the punishing lead track from the "Dissonant Bestial Black Death" crew's forthcoming debut album Pestilential Warfare of the Black Flame, launching on 23rd February (vinyl orders via the Bandcamp link).