Release Radar: Dateline, Joe Kaptein, Eo, Parksdale, TL Stamp, Void Waves, Sleeping Village + More

Revisit our coverage of Model, Awning, Tom De Plume, Out of Luck, Eigenface, Jonathan Bree, Dbldbl and Takatapunani, then delve into more new / recent Aotearoa releases from Dateline, Joe Kaptein, Eo, Parksdale, TL Stamp, Void Waves, Sleeping Village, Postnatal Abortion x Vortekke, CONSPYRE, and Moon Unit.

First teased in August on their Live In Madrid fundraiser EP, Dateline's new studio version of 'Hey! You Look Good' receives a big thumping rock sound, courtesy of producer / mixer Arran Cargill-Brown. Currently on tour in Old Blimey, Katie Everingham and co.'s live favourite is out in the world with wild and woolly coastal visuals — directed, shot, and edited by Ali Burns.

A joint release from Jandal Records, Holiday Records and club connoisseurs Music First's brand new imprint of the same name, Live at The Upside Down Lounge Vol. 1 documents keys maestro Joe Kaptein's jazz-fusion voyages with friends in Ponsonby — celebrating "the one year anniversary of Joe’s weekly residency at Goblin." Buzzing with energy, tuck into not only the expansive lead cut 'Listen Here', but also two (2) pumping remixes of 'Intergalactic Love Song', reimagined with dancefloors in mind by Atlanta-based producer Bryon The Aquarius. "Please enjoy and Keep the Music First!"

Out in full next week, Tāmaki Makaurau rapper / visual artist Eo has dropped a pair of new tracks from his forthcoming Battery Pack EP. This time teaming up with production mastermind Surly, Eo sounds downcast as he untangles the hidden puppet strings of our manipulative online era on the jazz-tinted 'Algo Rhythm' — flipped inside out and stretched into bass-booming shapes on 'Surly's Vocal Dub'.

reviewed last month with the full release of Side A, Parksdale's (Ladi6, Verse Two) debut solo album LOOK! is now out in full digitally and in a rather swish vinyl edition sporting artwork by Seung Yul Oh via Noa Records. The veteran Aotearoa producer and synthesesist's all-instrumental long player was created to be "a modern library record; composing pieces with the purpose of becoming sampling material" — playfully tipping the hat to such 20th century studio lab gurus / composers as Raymond Scott, RZA and Piero Umiliani.

Sunreturn's newest recruit is TL Stamp, the production moniker of award-winning RNZ music journalist Tony Stamp. Releasing quietly accomplished, aurally adventurous solo works on Bandcamp since the late '10s, Stamp's new album creases will be out in full on 3rd November. His new single 'Belladonna of Sadness' draws inspiration from Japanese composer's Geinoh Yamashirogumi's awesome opening track for Akira ('Kaneda'), trepidation and triumph uniting via graceful kalimba and "bits of wood" played by Stamp, plus strings by Kirsten Johnstone (also of RNZ). "Initially I wanted to make something that blurred the line between ‘percussive’ and ‘melodic’. The pattern that starts the song is a combination of things that live somewhere between. I had ‘Kaneda’ from the Akira score in my head and later when I wrote the chorus-type section it turned into something more emotional and maybe triumphant."

On a recently released two-pack from Void Waves, the enigmatic Tāmaki Makaurau artist summons Chrome-like sci-fi sheen and Iggy Pop swagger on 'Run from the light', while b-side 'Motel #10' delivers minimal wave beatscape heat. Shadowy sounds ideal for Halloween boogies, Void Waves hasn't missed yet.

Sizzling up SRN airwaves with the spooktacular collaged genre-pileup of 'Il Vampiro', Sleeping Village's new album Four is the ten track triumph of a detail-obsessed maniac, transcending snappy blurb formats of mere music columnists. Te Whanganui-a-Tara may actually be Aotearoa's cultural capital after all, as windy city denizens will be treated to a Halloween party starring Sleeping Village on 30th October. "Here is me accepting the award for album of the year long before its release I guess they just knew!!"

More world-class aural filth from Aotearoa's extreme metal underbelly, Hawkes Bay's ambassadors of black death grind Postnatal Abortion and Pōneke goregrind enthusiasts Vortekke contribute two insane tracks each to a new split release. Sounding like they're gargling vomit while jackhammering concrete (complimentary) on 'Mutilated Using Garden Tools and Shit', you can catch Postnatal Abortion letting rip in the capital later this month at Punkfest 2026 — snag tickets HERE.

A teen four-piece hailing from Kirikiriroa Hamilton, melodic death metal upstarts CONSPYRE are already attracting an international fanbase with the wild soloing, flying V axe attack of their latest single 'Razorblades and Reveries'.

Tamaki Makaurau's "highest PDGA rated band in the world" (this is confirmed to be factually accurate), Moon Unit seem to have discovered the secret formula for quality AND quantity. A dedicated studio project, they've shared the fourth edition of their 6 EP 2026 series, combining a playful spirit akin to The Clean's later output with a love for aural lushness and frazzly textures — inviting on board Vince Nairn (Rackets) on 'Home Sweet Home'.