Release Roundup: WAIWHAI., Zuke, Jaz Paterson & Junus Orca, PollyHill x Samara Alofa, Frog Power + More

Where does time... go? It's been a roasting week in Aotearoa, summer is finally here and end-of-year party season has begun. Let's revisit this week's news coverage of MOKOTRON, Caru & AndWahn, Nikita 雅涵 Tu-Bryant (KITA) x An Ogre, Grecco Romank, Miles Calder and Khaki Department, then scroll downwards for new / recent local release highlights from WAIWHAI., Zuke, PollyHill x Samara Alofa, Jaz Paterson & Junus Orca, Crystal Chen, Frog Power, and Valley Kids.

WAIWHAI.'s debut long player Slowdown World is incontestably a local release highlight of 2024, featuring a role call of some of Aotearoa's finest sonic practitioners contributing group-think prowess. Album centrepiece 'Where Do We Find Ourselves?' receives an equally meditative visual treatment with a new self-directed video, filmed / edited by Dan Kapoki. "Many questions in one - situations, remembrance, a call to contemplation. / Where do we find ourselves? Where do we find ourselves in time? Where do we go to, to find ourselves? What moment do we find ourselves in? How do we enter that moment fully? What assists us into the embrace of this moment? / Answers, offered in gentle vignettes - te taiao (nature), rangimārie (peacefulness), haututū (mischief), auahatanga (creativity)".

Playing a launch party in Tāmaki Makaurau this Saturday at Neck Of The Woods, Te Whanganui-a-Tara electronic producer / synthesist Zuke (aka Ed Zuccollo of KITA) this afternoon unveiled his debut solo long player Come Closer — the first release from Loop Recordings Aot(ear)oa’s new sub-label Loop Electronic. "This album is a collection of tunes from the last 6 years that I felt went together in terms of a cosmic cinematic feel, density of layers, and journey-like forms".

Prior to last weekend's performance at Tāmaki Makaurau's The Others Way festival, avant-electronic / hip-hop duo PollyHill x Samara Alofa shared a multi-dimensional video for 'HOME' — from 2023's AQUARIES — co-directed by Paloma Schneideman (PollyHill's alter-ego) and Litia Tuiburelevu. "HOME explores their complex relationship to Aotearoa, Tonga and Sāmoa as they consider what it means to belong to those lands as a queer, non-Christian person with an affinity for pre-colonial mythologies".

Staying in the realm of avant-electronica / R&B, Jaz Paterson & Junus Orca unveiled their rhythmically nimble, deeply soulful, and immaculately titled new single 'Body Electric'. Made with support from NZ On Air, the accompanying video by Robyn Jordaan and Kita Films is equally artful — swelling emotions conveyed with cool visual ripples and plasma globe sparks.

On a soul-jazz tip is Crystal Chen's new single 'Kiss It Better' — evoking woozy summer nights with contributing instrumentalist Joe Kaptein, Adam Tobeck, Hank Trenton, Francesca Parussini, Jack Thirtle, Harrison Chau and Kenny Sterling (who also produced the track). Keep eyes peeled for an accompanying video out in the weeks ahead.

Kiss a frog and it might turn into a lo-fi prince. Ōtepoti's Frog Power surprised online fans this week with currently YouTube-exclusive new five track RE-ENTER THE ZONE EP. Get the jump on future kiwi classics 'pull me a nang hey kindly sir', 're-enter the zone', 'anthony kiedis sucked my dick under a bridge in california', the ultra-catchy 'dog fight/orgy' and 'the cream zone'. "IF u liked this music , be sure to hit the subscribe button.ill be releasing alot more EPs i think in the coming weeks and months its the dawn of a new era so buckle in and hit that like button ,cheers".

Pōneke's Valley Kids serve up a generosity of catchy summer vibes with their new funk / reggae anthem 'Stuck In My Head', plus accompanying clip created with Will Wragg — a barroom ruckus familiar to more local musos than you might imagine. "We wanted to film a clip that was reminiscent of our days in the cover scene; booking gigs at bars and having to play to a room full of people that only want to watch the rugby and be able to hear their conversations. It's a nod to our fellow hard working musician family".