Release Roundup: Aldous Harding, Betty-Anne, Tyran, Tusekah, Bunchy's Big Score, Moon Unit + More

Scroll downwards for new and recent Aotearoa highlights from Aldous Harding, Betty-Anne, Tyran, Tusekah, Bunchy's Big Score, Moon Unit, HOICK, Triggar Happy, The Broken Heartbreakers, and Shaun Garea.

Aldous Harding's new single 'Venus In The Zinnia' is a duet with Welsh songwriter H. Hawkline, verging on Lil' Chief-esque jangle-croon for the second tune revealed from the Lyttelton luminary's forthcoming album Train On The Island — out 8th May via Flying Nun Records and 4AD. Harding's solo single arrives the same week UK electronic dance gods Prodigy dropped an 'Acid Thunder' remix of her collaborative track with Sleaford Mods, 'Elitist G.O.A.T.'.

Ardijah are widely recognised as one of Aotearoa's finest groups from the late '70s onwards, their self-titled 1987 album is a classic in itself. Lead singer Betty-Anne Hall (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Whātua, Ngāti Ranginui, Ngāi Te Rangi, Tainui, Ngāti Tūwharetoa) honours her pioneering soul-funk legacy with the launch of Slow Burn, her debut solo album. I expect to hear standouts such as 'Wake Up' ruling our airwaves in the weeks to come. "These waiata make up the korowai I wear into this next chapter, with each thread woven from heartbreak, healing and the love that surrounds me."

Carrying the torch for a new generation of Aotearoa soul-funk artists, the always impeccable Mānuka Recordings share 'I Want To See You Again', a swoon-inducing new single from Tāmaki Makaurau-based, Samoan songwriter Tyran. Featuring Summer Vee on backing vocals and sporting playful production flourishes courtesy of Kenny Sterling, 'I Want To See You Again' plus forthcoming B-side 'Heaven' is available for preorder on limited 7" vinyl via the Bandcamp link, officially out 27th April.

Recent special guest for Georgia Lines' EP release tour, Tusekah's new soul-pop bop 'Lay It Down' was co-written by the Te Whanganui-a-Tara-based rising star in collaboration with hitmakers Josh Fountain (BENEE) and Djeisan Suskov (LEISURE). Director Mikee Carpinter's accompanying video is the stylish cherry on top. "The song was written after I’d been to an event where I felt like I wasn’t being myself. We then chose to write the song from another person’s perspective encouraging me to be myself. The song is about feeling free enough to be yourself around the people you come into contact with whether they are people you are newly meeting or friends and family. The song is a suggestion to let your hair down and be embraced by their acceptance of who you are."

Recorded with the legendary Nick Roughan, 'Oscar Says' marks not only the return of Ōtepoti art-rockers Bunchy's Big Score but also teases us with the prospect of a new album on the horizon. Fuzzy and catchy yes totally, yet BBS have a knack for twisting and turning their tunes in unexpected, decidedly "non-whack" directions. We're looking forward to hearing even more.

Speaking of Oscars, Moon Unit are the high pedigree Tāmaki Makaurau duo of Oscar Davies-Kay (SCRAN, Water, Rackets, 2026 Australasian MA2 Champion) and Jackson Sullivan (NZDG Overall Tour Champ 2020, 2017 Australasian Disc Gold Champ, 2024 NZDG North Island Champ). Launched during the Easter long weekend via new local independent imprint T & M, their debut album of masterful lo-fi hits from another dimension Soft Metal was reportedly "recorded in the office of a disc golf warehouse in Onehunga", which probably explains all those disc golf (frisbee golf) accolades.

About to clamber into a van for a massive launch tour starting this Saturday, Tauranga punks HOICK nail it with a self-titled album of super high energy, grunty riff worship — featuring sick t-shirt worthy cover artwork by Seb Hart. "We hope this album's collection of distortion worship reaches the ear holes of freaks, geeks, losers and legends near and far. The biggest of thank you’s and most maximum of churs to any and everyone who has supported us in any way along this Hoicking thus far."

Chart-topping rural Aotearoa phenomenon Triggar Happy's new single 'COWBOY POWER ROCK' puts an irresistibly fist-pumping spin on his 2024 rap-country hit 'Cowboy Power'. Fans will be making their pilgrimage to Tāmaki Makaurau's Big Fan on 1st May, get tickets immediately right HERE.

Out today via Nadia Reid’s own imprint Slow Time Records, Ōtepoti The Broken Heartbreakers reemerge with the luminous and pastoral indie folk of 'What Is For You' — foreshadowing the launch of their fifth album Imagine If We Could Just Keep Driving, out on 17th July. ""What is for you, won’t go by you" is a comforting Gaelic proverb Rachel’s auntie shared with us when we were living in Ireland, dealing with some kind of disappointment. It doesn’t mean passively accepting everything that happens in life, but rather to trust in its flow and to accept that the things that are meant to find you, will find you in time. This song is being playful with this concept."

Your local dungeon crawler release of the week gets right to the heart of the maze-like matter. Dark Dungeons (Soundtrack) is an immersive album by Aotearoa composer Shaun Garea, released as the official soundtrack to the Advanced Fighting Fantasy board game Dark Dungeons. YOU must venture deep into the pit with sword and dice at hand, whilst experiencing "a mix of classic heroic orchestral music, teamed with dark ambient tracks to really immerse you in your spelunking deep in the heart of Titan. Listen to the music whilst playing the boardgame, whilst roleplaying with AFF, or whenever you just want the sounds of Titan with you!"