Release Roundup & Playlist: Crème Jéan, The Circling Sun, KORA, Void Waves, Takatapunani, Frau Knotz, FOG + More

It has been absolutely sheeting down outside of UTR HQ in Tāmaki Makaurau today, as we've been putting together this mid-winter Friday Roundup. Revisit this week's coverage of fresh works by Carnivorous Plant Society, Alphabethead, Tami Neilson, Ron Gallipoli, and Dale Kerrigan, then scroll downwards for more new / recent releases from Crème Jéan, Takatapunani, Void Waves, Frau Knotz, The Circling Sun, FOG, KORA, Mini Miller, Valere, and Devilskin.

Scroll down and scope out the UTR Roundup Playlist, a rolling weekly playlist keeping you in the loop with every new release we've featured on the site over the past month! Only including tracks available on streaming services of course — notably more artists than usual this week have Bandcamp-only releases.

Are you an Aotearoa artist / imprint releasing something new soon? Let us know — send your info including links to editor@undertheradar.co.nz.

One third of the holy musical trinity that was / still is Teen Wolf and primal force in his own right, Crème Jéan ambushes our Friday with a sneak peak at sizzling yet smooth new jammer 'Hotboxing' (first premiered over the airwaves on 95bFM Freak The Sheep). Braving Karangahape Road's most notorious laundromat to get all sudsy in the official clip, celebrate the official video launch for Crème Jéan's 'Hotboxing' tonight at Whammy Bar, with buds Vincent H.L and The Protection (get tickets HERE).

'Perfect Ten' is a storming debut single from Takatapunani aka Asher McCarten, featuring fast 'n' furious body-moving production by Big Fat Raro, who co-wrote the ballroom rap track with the rising Tāmaki Makaurau  artist and Jessica Hansell (Coco Solid). 'Perfect Ten' is the first new release in a minute from Kuini Qontrol — look for the official lowdown next week at Kuini Qontrol.com.

Attracting SRN airplay and much curiosity with the minimal synth-punk vibrations of February's debut The Other Side EP, Void Waves reemerges with chilly new single 'Waste Away', a dead-diode anthem more than ideal for sparking up the dancefloor at your local gothic club night. "Autumn hit, the temp dropped, and I bunkered down in the basement and made a bunch of tracks. This is the first one out. For the gear heads — bass + lead run through the Korg MS-20, drums are a 707/DMX blend, and some of the pads are ripped off my Commodore 64."

Warmer in tone yet also harnessing the reality-warping power of electronic synthesis is Frau Knotz’s 'Victory Dance on ZR3', an infectiously bouncy, propulsive and dare I say fun instrumental cut initially inspired by the soundtrack to 1998 platform game Jazz Jackrabbit 2. Put it on loop and get your household tasks done at twice the speed — 'Victory Dance on ZR3' is the lead single from the New Plymouth producer / singer's forthcoming Digital Plastic Surgery EP. "There’s a real freedom to making imaginary soundtracks; being able to reprise thematic ideas and explore them more fully without needing to follow traditional musical formats."

Also uplifting our spirits, this time to celestial heights, is the new album from Tāmaki Makaurau's interstellar jazz super-collective The Circling Sun, who'll be gracing the stage at Princess Chelsea's Midwinter Ball next weekend (Saturday night already sold out). Produced by Julien Dyne and out today via London's Soundway Recordings, the lineup of instrumentalists and guest contributors on Orbits is straight-up too spectacular for any pithy roundup section. "Orbits, the sophomore LP from The Circling Sun, channels the cosmic energy of '70s spiritual jazz, filtered through synths, layered percussion, and ethereal choirs. The Aotearoa collective expand their sonic universe with nods to Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Azymuth, and ambient jazz — offering deep listening for jazz heads and newcomers alike."

Aotearoa's FOG gaze beyond our winter gloom with the tight as a whip, clenched teeth post-punk ruckus of 'Spring', from a forthcoming four track 7" EP out soon.

A new cut from Aotearoa's mighty KORA always makes this listener dream of summer, they feed the fires of political change with heavy grooving single 'Revolution' — "a waiata for the people, for the ones who seek change", featuring Laughton Kora of Black Comet.

Ōtautahi RnB / pop songwriter Mini Miller teams up with production duo The Response (recent collaborators with Goodshirt's Rodney Fisher) on a five song EP out today from Winegum Records — singing of the omnipresent perils of growing up online with new lead track 'Cyber Freak'.

Valere sounds sassy and assured on new soul-funk cut 'I'll Tell You When I Know', cheerfully deflecting probing questions from friends and family about her career goals — a scenario well known to local artists (especially around Christmas time). We can all sing along and have a boogie with the accompanying lyric video, which is also making me very hungry.

Winner of the 2025 AMA People’s Choice Award and demanding an official metal award for future years, Aotearoa heavy rock riff-wranglers Devilskin's brand new album RE-EVOLUTION finds them reunited with producer Dave Rhodes. "We really approached this album from a fresh perspective. From the way we share demo's and ideas, to using a studio we had never been in before; the process was streamlined for precision. We knew exactly what we wanted to achieve. We set some lofty goals for ourselves and everyone pushed themselves that little bit harder. We all had the one focus, just to make this our finest work, our most expressive, expansive and evocative album."