Gareth Thomas Shares New Album 'Bits'

Adorned with hypercoloured pixelated rainbow cover art, Gareth Thomas blends his love for pop-rock catchiness — honed as a key member of Aotearoa icons Goodshirt — with electronic boffinry and world weary, warts-and-all songcraft on his new solo album Bits. Today's lead single 'Therapy Cat' encapsulates this playful bittersweet spirit, a buoyant Wilson-esque piano ballad pondering love on the rocks, co-written with fellow indie rock veteran Buzz Moller of Voom, after he instructed: "Write me a song called Therapy Cat and send it to me tomorrow."

Taking listeners on an emotional journey through jangle-rock, electro / synth-pop, psychedelia and angular new wave (sometimes in the same tune), Bits is a twelve song cycle reflecting on "a challenging period of grief, heartbreak and huge life changes" for the Tāmaki Makaurau multi-talent. Sounding brash and provocative on the ego-needling 'Cyber Star', Thomas later circles around to reveal tinges of regret on panoramic dream-rock anthem 'Words That Don't Come Back', while concluding tune 'Wavesong' reimagines a work by poet Sam Hunt as an expansive vocodered dreamscape.

Out today on limited edition vinyl LP and as a deluxe digital edition via new local platform Lume, Thomas' next move is naturally a nationwide Bits launch tour, commencing next Sunday at Space Academy in Ōtautahi...

"Writing, producing and performing this album has been cathartic and a way to keep my inner child alive."

Gareth Thomas

Sunday 8th November – Space Academy, Christchurch w/ Thomas Erasmus*
Friday 20th November – BIG FAN, Auckland w/ Echomatica*
Saturday 28th November – Shed Twenty5, Nelson w/ Home Entertainment System*
Sunday 29th November – Mussel Inn, Golden Bay w/ Home Entertainment System

*Tickets on sale HERE via UTR

'Bits' is out today on major streaming platforms.