Release Roundup: Michael Logie, Borrowed cs, Church, Keepsakes, Hanbee, Thagomizer + More

Revisit this week's coverage of Dateline, Ducklingmonster and Frau Knotz, watch our new episode of LIVE MUSIC BAR starring Pony Baby (Jazmine Mary & Arahi), read our interview with Philadelphia punk champions The Menzingers, then delve into more new / recent Aotearoa release highlights by Michael Logie, Borrowed cs, Keepsakes, Ludus, Thagomizer, Church, hanbee, Lisa Crawley, We Will Ride Fast, and Festering Death.

Electronic innovator and Mint Chicks bassist Michael Logie treats us to 'You Cant Help Me', his first official new release since 2022's exceptional FKD NIGHT EP. The Tāmaki Makaurau artist's mastery over the AI realm only becomes even more absolute with his shark-infested, intentionally grainy, accompanying visual extravaganza. Pōneke fans can go catch Logie at Great Sounds Great festival on 31st August. "I made the song about existential threats and being unable to protect my loved ones. I used an AI voice clone of my partner. When I performed the vocals she was in the background playing Fortnite and yelling at her team mates, the AI interpreted her voice in the background as whispering. After hearing the resulting vocal I changed the lyrics to just being about how she's going to lose at Fortnite".

Aotearoa's sonically polymathic Borrowed cs aka Cory Champion has shared four rhythmically buff tracks so far from his forthcoming new album Creative Writing (out next Friday), plus an alluring selection of process / techy / live interpretations over on Instagram. Grip a limited edition tape before they're all gone via the Bandcamp link. "The album is released on my own imprint and I’ll be doing a limited run on cassette tapes, so tap in on my Bandcamp if you want to order tapes, or pre-order the digital album and cop the first tunes for your chip sticks".

Ōtautahi techno king Keepsakes made his debut this week on German imprint Boysnoize Records, also home to recent releases by such off the chain talents as Ho99o9 and Arca. Playing in China for the first time ever this weekend, feel the dark dancefloor energy of Keepsakes' Lead Popsicle EP and check out some wicked studio process clips over on his Instagram.

Whanganui artist Emma Bernard aka Ludus announced late last week new field recording project Sonic Herbarium — debuting with an immersive composed work and a downloadable sample pack, all accessible over on the Pyramid Club website HERE. "The first iteration consists of a piece made entirely out of recordings from Mangawhero Forest, along with a downloadable sound pack recorded from the forest. The main drones you hear in the piece are heavily effected recordings from the inside of a fallen tree"

Also evoking the awe-inspiring majesty of nature, although of a much earlier era, is the work of Aotearoa dino synth explorer Thagomizer. The Pōneke composer unleashed mighty two track combo 'Titanic Shepherd of Gondwana' and 'Tyrant Titan', the former tune featured on new compilation of international dungeon synth Echoes of Extinction (Dino Synth Anthology I) via Germany's Unreal Estate Records.

Mega productive Tāmaki rap star Church dropped his I Heard You Can Talk To The Dead At Trust Stadium EP, bundling on board recent ace recent singles 'Fairytale' and 'Interview with a Vampire' with three new tracks expanding further the artist's sonic scope.

Performing in Sydney this weekend, NZ-Korean rising star hanbee unveiled her debut album small love last week, plus lush self-directed visuals for sax-soaked new single 'strange'. "'small love' is something familiar, but also different in many ways to my previous work. The tracks on 'small love' each tell a different story on the main concept but somehow come together. I aimed to keep my dreamy sound, but I wanted to explore different genres and add my own colour to them. These tracks capture the essence of 'small love'—the stories of love that may seem tiny and insignificant at first but hold immense significance in our lives".

Now based in Los Angeles, Aotearoa songwriter Lisa Crawley reemerges with the doo-wop rhythms and thoughtful lyrical reflections of new single ‘Hey You’, plus a glitzy clip directed by Will Cook, shot at the Hollywood lounge. "'Hey You' is about investigating the layers and complexities we have as humans, trying to understand them more. It’s coming to the conclusion there’s certain feelings and emotions we have that we may never be able to pinpoint, but are certainly there. It explores a sense of loneliness that can be hard to define - the type you can feel even when in the company of others".

Tauranga-based bFM chart-topper We Will Ride Fast summed up our wild online moment with Chrome-like new single 'Surfing The Meme Machine'.

Ōtepoti metal / punk maniacs Festering Death unleashed Live At The Crown 24​/​5​/​2024, sporting seven tracks of mind-muntering sonic brutality. Could this be the new Dunedin sound and if not, why not?