Release Roundup: Home Brew, Dimmer, Troy Kingi, Raiden Freeman, Romi Wrights, SCRAN + More

Aotearoa's end of year release rush looks to be well underway, as a tidal wave of quality local sounds arrives before the dreaded dead zones of December and January. Revisit this short week's coverage of Thee Golden Geese, Half Hexagon and Moider Mother, then delve downwards for more fresh local highlights from Home Brew, Dimmer, Troy Kingi, Romi Wrights, Raiden Freeman, Ov Pain, Swallow The Rat, BJ Leo and post-punk newcomers SCRAN.

Wrapping up their North Island reunion events tonight at Tāmaki Makaurau's The Powerstation, Aotearoa hip hop figureheads Tom Scott and the Home Brew crew revealed they're releasing their first new album in over a decade Run It Back on 8th December. Smash play on the soul-infused title track if you somehow haven't already.

Documenting their triumphant triple night residency at Tāmaki Makaurau's Hollywood Avondale last year, Dimmer's Live At The Hollywood document's Shayne P. Carter's live band of James Duncan, Durham Fenwick, Louisa Nicklin, Neive Strang, Gary Sullivan and Kelly Sherrod (playing bass on 'Crystalator') in full sonic opulence. You can catch them performing together again nationwide in November and December. Carter enthused: "Live performance has always been it for me, but I’ve usually found live recordings ropey. I was actually blown away by how good the Hollywood recordings were, and how they included angles and extrapolations on the tunes that aren’t on the original recordings. Although I stand to financially gain from the exploitation of this artefact I wholeheartedly recommend the item to the general listening public".

Taite Music Prize winner Troy Kingi revealed 'Bastard', the mellifluously grooving lead track from his forthcoming new album of instrumentals Time Wasters: Soundtrack to Current Day Meanderings. You can catch him with The Room Service touring nationwide in November.

The third official release in the still-flawless Mānuka Recordings catalogue stars Te Whanganui-a-Tara-based based soul / jazz singer Romi Wrights. Produced and composed by Kenny Sterling, be swept away by A-side 'Bring It Back', look forward to the launch of B-side 'Without You' on 23rd November, and go catch Wrights opening for living legend of US soul Lee Fields at Hollywood Avondale on 10th December.

An unstoppable artistic force in 2023, Te Whanganui-a-Tara songwriter / producer / filmmaker Raiden Freeman (Jack Mells of Rotato) shares a typically superb new nine track collection bearing the name Medias Res via Bankrupt Records, within reside gems aplenty. "Medias Res is from a lyric in the song 'Tiny Fez', a song I wrote and released but quickly took down in 2018 making its first record appearance here. I saw that someone Soundcloud to MP3'd it and still plays it on the radio. The anachronism is intentional as is the anachronism of declaring this my musical journey in medias res. Who knows or cares where I am in the journey? I always just feel that I'm walking into the play in the mid-way through".

Speaking of immaculately curated underground Aotearoa imprints, the eighth release from Related Articles showcases the work of Te Whanganui ā Tara-based sonic artist / producer / composer BJ Leo. Allow your ears room to explore the intricately detailed textures and spaces of 'ZS', from the artist's new five track MUTUALS EP. The collection releases in full at 9pm this evening, accompanied by "a multi-channel (octaphonic) listening event with visuals by Zozo (Third Party)" at Tāmaki Makaurau's Audio Foundation tonight from 6.15pm, plus note: "We will be collecting donations for Medical Aid for Palestinians".

Naarm-based Ōtepoti darkness dwellers Ov Pain performed at their southern hometown's legendary Lines Of Flight festival of noise / experimental sonics last night. Succumb to the deep atmospheres of 'Silver Gate', the lead single from the duo's forthcoming album Reliquary of Dusk.

Letting rip at 605 Morningside this Saturday with Boneshakers and Lesbian Death Slutz From Hell (tickets HERE), post-punks Swallow The Rat complement their accomplished new album South Locust with a minimal lyric video for 'Cave'.

Making waves in Tāmaki Makaurau over the past year, SCRAN are the formidable post-punk six-piece of vocalist Lewis Yeats, guitarists Oscar Davies-Kay (Rackets, Water), Liam Pramm (For The Girl Who Has Everything, Short-Chain), and James King (Cindy, DHDFD’s), bassist Paul Brown (Trust Punks, Horror In Clay), and drummer Mason Fairey (Louisa Knicklin). Hit play on their smashing debut single 'Born Again' and look forward to their debut album To Your Heart’s Content in the months ahead.