Album Review: Ranges – Sin

There is the music you can hear—
And the world built beneath it.

How good are riffs?

Seriously though – how good are they? All kinds. Big, filthy riffs. Shimmering, melancholy riffs. Sludgy, stank face riffs. Riffs that transport you to childhood memories unexpectedly. Riffs that if you’re driving result in your foot pressing harder on the accelerator without realising. Safe to say, I am all too happy to worship at the altar of riffs.

And luckily, Ranges new release Sin is a very fitting addition to the altar.

I must confess, I actually didn’t know much about them heading into this review. After a brief crash course I can say that I was missing out – they’re great… And with some of the most creative, bespoke, wonderful merch and universe building I’ve seen. This is a group of people who deeply love and respect the music and art that they create, and deeply enjoy sharing it with the world. How goddamn amazing.

And so onto their new release: Sin. Seven tracks, seven deadly sins. Full disclosure, I’m not 100% certain which track corresponds to which sin, so I’ve done some internet sleuthing as best I can to align them.

“The Falcon Cannot Hear the Falconer” – Wrath
Opening the album we have a track titled with a line from the William Butler Yeats poem “The Second Coming”. A poem influenced by the trauma and unimaginable horror of the first world war, descending into chaos and sheer terror. Ethereal pads and light, airy effects kick us off before some softly booming tom work guides us into the first instance of chiming guitar riffs. The guitars sway and pierce while the bass slowly rumbles. Suddenly we’re into wrath – piercing, venomous guitar lines erupt from the speakers and swirl around your head.

Just as you’re getting used to it though we’re back into the first building motif again, but with more layered guitar lines to add to the overall wall of sound, reminding me of pg. lost in a way. Exploding proper into the final stanza with the second motif repeating again we get even more high end distorted guitars wailing and thrashing at you. I can absolutely picture this as the soundtrack to coffins opening and the wrathful dead rising – a la the 7” cover inspired by Dante’s Inferno.

‘Their Eyes Sewn Shut’ – Envy
What denotes envy to you? Is it a longing for a thing you can’t or shouldn’t have? If so, the opening of this screams out longing to me. It’s melancholy, slightly wistful and pushed forward by the military style drumming. Then a screaming guitar riff comes in and takes the top of your head off, exploding the track into glorious life. It’s spacious and huge, echoing around the sound stage as wailing lines build and soar. The military snare hits keep us going as the guitar screams, until it recedes into a soft, delicate bridge.

A few well timed clean chords to echo through the space occur before the main guitar melody line comes back in to remind us of the overall track, and hint at one final peak. It’s a study in delicate noise – melodic cacophony. And then, there’s no final noise. We end with the environmental sounds/effects that were all through the track, softly echoing and dying to leave us thinking about what makes us envious.

“Bound To The Black Wind” – Lust
I love this track. It has a delicate, shimmering swagger to it, fragile and vulnerable in the beginning as we ruminate on things lost or things never had. It’s got that ‘classic’ post rock sound that we all know so well – timeless guitars, spacious yet essential drumming, melodic rises and clear yet enveloping mix. Then when the heavy part of the track kicks in it’s immediately buzzsaw guitars soaring and fighting with each other, an evil minor melody cutting through absolutely everything on the track. That melody line could absolutely be the evil, lustful voice in your head. The counterpoint guitar line coming after it is the foil to that voice, cautioning restraint. A great track, and would absolutely hammer live I think.

“Three Throats” – Gluttony
This song certainly seems to be a tale of two parts. The first instance is quiet, delicate and mournful. Everything in its right place, slowly building and moving around one another in no hurry to arrive at the second section. And then the second section is violence.

It’s a simple riff, but oh boy it’s a corker of a riff. This is a nomination to the altar of riffs for sure. It’s a masterclass in ‘less is more’ as the band slowly cycle through the riff over and over, building more venom, anger, distortion and tension into it with each phrase. It encourages head banging, evil faces and gluttony. This is feeding yourself silly on a dirty, evil riff and I am here for it. Ranges don’t give you a choice here – they’re force feeding you this riff and you WILL like it. Awesome.

“Prodigal” – Avarice/Lust
We get a quiet start on this track, with subdued guitars, a thudding, gorgeous bass line humming underneath and simple, propulsive drumming. Slowly building, ebbing and flowing with the instrument lines weaving between each other until the inevitable peak explodes… And it explodes with glorious abandon. Cutting, buzzsaw guitars, bass that seems to be ripped straight from a chasm and signaling impending doom. It’s an aural assault and it is just wonderful.

Lust indeed. I for one am lusting over that guitar tone. It’s gorgeous. It reminds me of If These Trees Could Talk with that slight proggy edge to it, but this is a beast all its own. Then in the bridge we get some delightful strings to float us away briefly before the violence returns. And then we’re back, mired into those wonderful guitar lines with a new, soaring riff over the top threatening to take the top of your head off. And all too soon it’s over. I could listen to this as a 20 minute track easily. Killer.

“The Red Mist” – Anger
Straight out of the gate this track seems to fit exactly with the sin of Anger. An angry, speedy start to this song fires you back in your seat, guitars hitting you square in the chest over and over again, minor rising lines wailing at you until they collapse on themselves. And then – respite? Perhaps, but there is still that undercurrent of tension in the ‘quieter’ section as the anger of the first part still permeates. And while the softer section is great, it’s the urgency, anger and violence of this track that makes it for me. It’s a masterclass in ‘loud/quiet/loud’ songwriting, and one of those tracks that you swear is either 2 minutes or 10 minutes long. When the second, final loud section kicks in it’s all fist pumping and head swaying. If that’s a musical representation of anger – sign me up for an album of it.

“Idle Hands” – Sloth
If I had to describe this song in one word, it would be ‘wistful’. If it is the track for Sloth, then perhaps the sloth is the languid guitar line at the start? There’s a certain sadness to this track that makes me think I got my Sin allocations wrong. It’s slow to start, each instrument coming in to add to the overall wall of sound, chord by chord, riff by riff. And you know it’s coming – the peak. Just because you know it’s coming doesn’t lessen the impact though when it’s done this well. It’s loud, melodic, screaming at you and a suitable vessel for you to scream into the void. Angry guitars yell at you one final time as the track just… dissolves into quiet. A fitting final track.

So, overall a great album. It’s not just the music, but the world they’ve created around it that makes it great. It’s so very clear the time, effort and meticulous crafting that went into this album. And there is a smorgasbord of riffs for you to sink your teeth into. This makes me need to go and listen to everything they have done previously, because I am clearly deficient in my Ranges allocation. Now, where on earth do I get an Æterno coin…

“Where words fail, music speaks.”

Ranges are part of A Thousand Arms records, a post-rock label and screen printing company that creates incredible bespoke merch. They have teamed up with dunk!records in Belgium to press some incredible looking records.

The theme of this album is the seven deadly sins. The album will be released on 7/7. There are seven different variants of the record (limited to 150 copies each), each named after the respective sins.

There are seven limited edition boxsets that contains all variants (already sold out). And for the ultra fans, we have the deluxe boxset (limited to 77 copies, also sold out), which features seven 7″ records, one for each song on the album, with vinyl-exclusive songs on the b-sides. The US Deluxe Edition also includes a suite of seven themed ephemera that align with sins and vices, including playing cards, dice, a cigar, and a poster and merch that have been screen printed in the typical A Thousand Arms attention to detail.

Ranges are about to embark on an American tour with their friends in Man Mountain, playing Midwest and East Coast parts of the country, before finishing at Post Festival in Indianapolis.

Tour dates/ ticketing: https://www.rangesmusic.com/tour

Order Sin:

Bandcamp: https://ranges.bandcamp.com/album/sin
A Thousand Arms store (USA): https://www.athousandarmsstore.com/collections/pre-order-sin-by-ranges
dunk!records (EU) : https://dunkrecords.com/collections/ranges
Wild Thing Music (Au): https://wildthingmusic.com/collections/ranges

Ranges links:

Website: https://www.rangesmusic.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rangesmusic
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rangesmusic/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBJg41ELchEChCEtIRKz4NA

Patreon (The Ranges podcast, exclusive merch, early access to releases): https://www.patreon.com/rangesmusic

The Cultus (The world of Ranges lore. Exclusive marketplace, limited edition releases, unpacking the deep mystique and concepts of Ranges’ music) : https://linktr.ee/thecultus

Reviewed by Nick Dodds

Photos by Joseph James

Album Review: We Lost The Sea – A Single Flower

So, we finally have a new We Lost The Sea album brought forth into the wild. It’s been a long wait, and a lot has happened in the world since the heady days of October 2019. Global pandemics, wars, riots, political upheavals and much, much more. And Triumph & Disaster seemed to be a very apt soundtrack for it all. I don’t know about you, but The Last Sun & Mother’s Hymn were on high rotation in our house during those black pandemic days, seemingly reflecting the helplessness, distrust and bleak acceptance of the world around us.

And now we have A Single Flower to carry us on for the next period of time. I can tell you immediately that I’m exceedingly thankful for that. What good is global unrest and uncertainty without a smashing soundtrack?

We Lost The Sea have never shied away from heavy themes in their music – in fact, they revel in it. Crimea on the brutality of war, The Quietest Place On Earth on soul crushing emotions, Departure Songs embracing glorious failure and Triumph & Disaster a final day on Earth between a mother and son. Safe to say, heavy themes abound. A Single Flower slots into this seamlessly right from the off, with its full title: ‘A Single Flower or The Black Bird Glowed Bright White as it Fell and Became a Trail of Light’.

Sunshine and rainbows this is most firmly not. But therein lies the power: you cannot have light without darkness. And by drawing from the darkness, the light when it visits becomes even more powerful… And We Lost The Sea are masters at manipulating the darkness, encapsulating it as a vehicle to drag you into the light.

The album opens with ‘If They Had Hearts’ – a single, jagged, forlorn guitar riff echoing sadly. It’s channeling middle eastern or latin sensibilities, in no hurry to expand or contract while the band slowly come in around it. Muted drums slowly expand in the background, increasing in volume and venom as piano, bass and the heavenly triple guitar attack swell and ebb. At around 3 and a bit minutes we get into the track ‘proper’, percussive elements continuing the inexorable pace as the band move as a single unit towards the peak. And then at 5 and a half minutes we get the pay off, the track exploding into menace, sadness and power – yet without changing the underlying riff or tempo at all.

It’s a masterclass in building, layering and minimalism as a sonic assault. Elements of Swans no-wave certainly seem apt here. And then suddenly the track has collapsed upon itself, leaving us with gentle, swirling guitars, delicate piano and a sense of space with a touch of longing. I can only imagine this live.

Then we head straight into ‘A Dance With Death’, potentially the most recognisable We Lost The Sea song on the album – in every wonderful way possible. Earthquake bass kicks us off, melodic, chugging and setting a scene. Guitar lines that are almost ‘proggy’ weave in and out, piano lines soar and the drums. Oh my heart, the drums. First time I heard this track I excitedly messaged a friend on how good the drums on this track are – and after 50+ listens I’m now even more certain. The snare hits at about 2.30 in absolutely hit my soul, and the guitar lines building pressure, intensity and anger just make me want to scream into the void.

And then just like that it’s all panned, mixed and echoed out into a single guitar riff that to me is absolutely a call back to Departure Songs (might be miles off, but I swear it is). Then it’s brushes on the kit, delicate piano and melancholy as far as the eye can see… Until a buzzsaw guitar starts building. Snappy high hat work. A partner guitar to increase the tension and sonics. Bass to massage your intestines, and the song keeps going, until the inevitable explosion. And it is glorious. When everything comes in you are left with no doubt that this is a band operating at the peak of their powers. And then, then, then – a filthy, majestic and just flat out disgustingly good riff to finish it all off. Absolute class. I cannot get enough of this song, and a dance with death it most certainly is. If you survive or not, uncertain.

Next up is ‘Everything Here Is Black And Blinding’. If I had to sum up this track with just one word it would be: oppressive. This is a dank basement, mould on the walls and a single dust covered window allowing just a single shaft of light to penetrate the space. It’s another angular, off kilter guitar riff to start things, with a drum beat that to my ears brings me memories of early 2000’s electronic dance music (because old). There’s layered guitars that are more static and emotional than notes, while the main guitar line weaves through it all. There’s noise here. Counter beats. It’s dense. It’s a wailing, angry beast lurching through the darkness.

Then the inevitable peak as everything comes to a head, those static/noise guitar lines expanding and growing, bass nailing you to the floor, filthy, dust covered keyboard riffs (Fender Rhodes?) taking over everything as the whole track collapses in on itself and dies. I wasn’t sure about this track when I first heard it, but it’s superb. It’s different, exciting and oh so engaging. At ‘only’ 8 minutes there is a lot to unpack here, and even more to revisit again and again. And I’m just starting to scratch the surface of it.

Moving into the second ‘half’ of the album we have ‘Bloom (Murmurations Of First Light)’. A wistful, melancholic solo guitar line kicks it off before we almost immediately head into a walloping wall of sound as the band pins our ears back. A riff of longing, reverb, echoes and distorted melody push us through the initial section, until that bass is all that remains with a dirty riff. And then we’re back to the first guitar line. I didn’t know what a ‘murmuration’ was (for those like me, it’s a term to describe those wonderful soaring, swirling patterns that flocks of birds can make), but the middle part of this track is a murmuration encoded as a song to me. It’s beautiful. Swelling, orchestral and melodic. I can close my eyes and see the flock of birds above my head, swirling in time to the bass and piano, kicking left and right, up and down in time to the drums.

And while these birds are putting on a show the guitars are chiming, weaving in and out for a dance all their own as well. If the previous track was oppressive, this is light. It’s fragile, delicate light that can corrode and die at any moment, but light nevertheless. And so we build, the band allowing us more shafts of light and swooping lines, chugging guitar steaming ahead until a guitar solo like a laser from space pierces the sonic assault. It’s been a while since a solo like that has been on a WLTS album and it’s another excellent example of the tonal changes and musical switches on this album. And then we’re done. The birds have finished their dance and the guitar from the beginning is echoing around our heads again, bass and swelling cymbals reminding us of the journey we just had.

And then – ‘The Gloaming’.

I wasn’t ready for this track. To come where it does on the album, and after all the changes, variety and complexity before it it floored me. I had a good cry hearing this. It is the very definition of fragile beauty. Soaring strings, piano and more melancholy then I was ready for on first listen. It. Is. Gorgeous. It’s also the shortest track at around 3 minutes, but what a wonderful 3 minutes. It’s potentially the most ‘simple’ track on the album (and it is not simple) but holy shit it’s just great. It’s beyond emotive and hit me right in the feels. I can’t really say much more about this than it’s just beautiful and I thank them for sharing this with us. If only I could hear this live.

“Does the earth hold our guilt or our own hearts?”

And finally we come to… ‘Blood Will Have Blood’. Mark Owen himself described it to me as ‘a behemoth’ and he is most certainly not wrong, but I’d also throw in a few extra terms like ‘gargantuan’, ‘odyssey’ and ‘immense’. To start with, it’s 27 minutes long. We’ve had what a lot of bands would consider an album prior to this track… and yet here we are. Epic is an understatement. Wistful guitars start chiming to kick it off, warm bass hugging you and consoling you until mallet drums and lonely piano remind you where you are. You’re in their world now, and best buckle up. This exudes space and slow build up, layers coming in slowly as the emotive pressure ratchets up a single degree at a time. Minor riffs swirling and growing, growling in the darkness as a single fist rages against the dark.

The drums propel us forward, waves of guitar building and shimmering. And then the snare rushes begin and the band… Hit us with a glorious major key riff. Exploding out of the darkness it’s sunshine, lightness and hope. It’s rocking, majestic and unexpectedly happy – until you look at the runtime and realise we’re less than halfway through. Challenger Part II this is not. And almost like trying to hold onto a dream when you wake the sunshine dissipates in a wave of thick riffs and we descend back into the inky blackness.

But perhaps all is not quite lost yet. Yes, the guitar lines are mournful. Swelling, cajoling and brittle but as the distortion hums around the pure notes there is still a background warmth. But that soon disappears as we’re left with cold indifference. A military snare beat starts pushing us forwards as the guitars growl quietly, the piano offering slight respite. The bass pulses like a heartbeat in your throat, noise and atmospherics only adding to the overall feel. It’s building, but to an unknown place. If a slow building peak could be constrained violence, this is it. It’s unforgiving, pummeling and full of rage. And then – jagged guitars ramp up the violence. Anger at the world, anger at the heart, anger at the cold indifference of the human condition. It’s vitriol, helplessness and silent rage as music. It’s also the culmination of the journey of this album.

And so it continues building, riffs exploding left and right, buzzsaw guitars fighting each other for supremacy and glorious noise everywhere. It’s almost funeral with it’s tempo, yet somehow feels far faster. And just when you think the violence, darkness and futility will win, we’re done. The darkness has been pushed back. Perhaps just for a moment, perhaps for good. But embrace the beauty of the end. A return to delicate moments, beauty and positivity. And with that, it’s over. And what a ride.

When I reviewed Departure Songs I said something like ‘if you want to show someone the power of music, play them this album’. A Single Flower is if you want to show someone the emotive, physical power that music can have. It’s beautiful, bleak, angry, dark, happy, wistful and so much more. It’s dense, layered and not what I was expecting, and I love it all the more for it. It’s a journey in all the best ways possible. And to continue with the single flower analogy, peeling back each petal of this album is an immensely rewarding journey.

Kudos. A massive release.

A Single Flower releases July 4, 2025.

We Lost The Sea are touring North America with Hubris. in July, and their home country of Australia with Follow in October/November.

We Lost The Sea links:

https://www.welostthesea.com/

https://welostthesea.bandcamp.com/

https://www.instagram.com/welostthesea

https://www.facebook.com/welostthesea

https://x.com/welostthesea

Guest post by Nick Dodds

Live review: distance final Wellington show

distance

w/ Serpent Dream, Sheeps, FVKVSHIMA

Valhalla, Wellington

Friday 6 June 2025

I have nothing but love for Valhalla, the treasured venue that I consider my musical home. That said, it has a notoriously sticky floor a lot of the time. Opening act Serpent Dream was playing and I was shocked to see roughly a dozen people sitting down to enjoy their tunes. It was a suitable reaction to the lovely music, but I’ve always been of the mindset that making any more than the bare minimum of contact with the Valhalla floor was inadvisable. They were a duo: Josh on guitar and some vocals, and Kelda on violin. Kelda had contributed violin to distance recordings in past and they’d always discussed playing together at some point. I’d not encountered Serpent Dream beforehand, but I came away a fan. The ethereal music left us spellbound and paved the way for a great night ahead.

Sheeps have been a mainstay in the local music scene for some time now. I remember first seeing them play when they opened for Hiboux at San Fran during their Migrations tour. I know that they bonded with distance at Twisted Frequency festival one year that they’d both played, and had been tight ever since.

Their drummer Thomas has been living in Auckland for a few years, and it hasn’t always been worth flying him down to Wellington for gigs. Pete from FVKVSHIMA had been filling in here and there, opening for Toe, and playing Newtown Festival and Cubadupa. It was nice to see Thomas back on the drum throne for this gig.

Sheeps play a interesting brand of rock that draws from the lighter side of prog and post rock, while still leaving an impression. Three guitarists play intricate melodies and frontman Dean Blackwell delivers soaring vocals that remind me of Radiohead.

[Sheeps are currently raising funds to press their album Working the Machine on vinyl. Here is a link if you’re interested: https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/getworkingthemachinepressedtovinyl]

FVKVSHIMA and distance have enjoyed a long friendship. I think they both opened for Spook the Horses years ago, which was FVKVSHIMA’s first show. Sam Butler filled in on bass one time – which is no small undertaking, considering how technical FVKVSHIMA’s music is. And the bands have played together many times. They will also be playing together in Christchurch next weekend, at distance’s final show.

I’m a big fan of FVKVSHIMA, and was honored that they were happy to work with me to premiere their debut single “Kuato” last year in May. They have immense stage presence and irresistible djenty grooves. Thematically, they draw heavy influence from from post-apocalyptic and sci-fi canon. Musically, I liken them to Meshuggah and Killing Joke.

Check out their new single “The End is Nigh“, released a few days ago.

It’s a sad moment. distance are one of the best bands to arise from the NZ music scene in the past decade. It started out as a solo lockdown project from Sam Butler, but before long became a fully fledged band. They’ve easily the best actively gigging post-rock band in the country for a lot of their tenure.

We last saw them touring with Australian band Myriad Drone in February. Myriad Drone were about to release their newest record, and were selling it before the official release dates at these shows. distance had an album in the works too, and had planned on releasing it to coincide with that tour, but some delays meant that the album wasn’t ready in time.

It’s a shame, because that album is a ripper. so as not to forget (released March 28, 2025) is a masterpiece. It’s dynamic and nuanced and shows clear growth in songwriting abilities. It also clearly draws from the trio’s metal roots, with plenty of big riffs and blastbeats that are both tasty and tasteful. Without question my favourite album released so far this year, and I feel like I’m still barely scratching the surface with discovering how much it has to offer.

So yeah, it’s sad that such an amazing band is calling it a day, and that they didn’t have much to to showcase their incredible new record. But they’re ending on a high note. Sam Butler is moving to Europe. Exciting new adventures await. A shame that this spells the end of a great band, but I have no doubt we will see more from him at some point in the future.

I haven’t even touched on their set. It was great. Many friends had come together for the farewell, and you could feel a nice energy in the room. A mix of hope and support, celebrating a band that we were proud to be friends with, albeit tinged with a bittersweet sadness.

Sam Austin has a really understated power in his presence, standing strong with a wide stance, holding his big bass guitar and delivering thunderous tones. As a drummer, I always love seeing Levi play. He’s a metal drummer in gazillion bands and I love seeing how he tastefully incorporates his metal chops into a style that doesn’t always ask for it. He has a deft ability to push the music in creative ways.

And then we have Sam Butler. The sonic wizard. distance has always been his project. He looked the part, his long curls hiding his face as he did his best shoegaze impression. But now and again you’d get a peek at his smile. He’s humble and a bit shy on stage. He made a few slip ups pressing the wrong buttons on his pedal board, and he sheepishly confessed that he’d made a terrible error choosing to take his shoes off and play in his socks [see prior entry for Valhalla floor: very sticky and gross]. But we all know that he’s incredible and we love him and his band and all the great contributions they’ve made to the music community as a band and as individuals.

It was fantastic. New lighting that I hadn’t seen at Valhalla before helped set the mood. Kelda from Serpent Dream jumped up onstage to add violin to one song, just as Toby has added sax at distance gigs in the past. The new songs are awesome and the older tracks wrapped themselves with warm familiarity. An end of an era for sure.

Tickets for distance’s final show in Christchurch next Saturday, with FVKVSHIMA, Ragweed and No Broadcast: https://www.undertheradar.co.nz/gig/96239/Distance-Final-Show—w/-Fvkvshima,-Ragweed-and-No-Broadcast.utr

distance links: https://lnk.bio/distancenz

Words and photos by Joseph James

It’s gonna be Okay: An interview with Taylah

I’ve been friends with Taylah quite a while now. She made the move down from her hometown of Kerikeri along with Dean from Adoneye, and soon enough a handful of their friends followed suit. They are all amazing musicians and we’d often have musical jams and parties at each other’s places. [If you watch her Flat Sessions videos on her YouTube channel you’ll see her old flat in Island Bay where a lot of these jams took place]

Taylah with OddJive at Valhalla, April 2019. Photo by Will Not Fade

I’d seen Taylah play in her old band OddJive, but I remember the first time I went to one of her gigs, doing her own music at Rogue & Vagabond. She was joined by her long time collaborator Sam Nakamura and I was floored. She has an incredibly powerful voice, and can transition between a wide range of styles with ease. Some of the music was super fun and upbeat (e.g. “Undies”), and other songs felt like vulnerable tearjerkers (e.g. “Coming Down”), but no matter the mood, the talent was undeniable. Taylah recruited more amazing musos to her band in time, and each gig was more impressive than the last. The aforementioned Flat Sessions are great examples of how good they are.

It’s never a bad time to listen to Taylah’s music. I’m a Kindergarten teacher and frequently have her music playing throughout the days as the tamariki and I play and learn. Not only is Taylah’s music fantastic and fun, but I also think her themes and messages are great for the children to absorb. She touches on things like whakapapa, self acceptance, identity as wahine Māori, and feels super down-to-earth and relatable in many respects. “Okay” is also one of my favourite songs and a total jam, so why not listen to it at work?

Taylah and Sam Nakamura at Rogue & Vagabond, Jan 2022. Photo by Will Not Fade

Taylah made the move up to Tamaki Mākaurau a few years ago as a step towards progressing her musical career. I miss seeing her as frequently as I did when she lived here, but have been hyped to see how Tay has been doing with each milestone she reaches. I had a trip to Auckland in December 2023 and went to visit her at Stebbings recording studios where she spends a lot of her time writing and recording. We had a nice day together and I loved hearing about how she’s been branching out. She’s been making moves into licensing, collaborating on EDM tracks, and learning how to self-produce.

Things have started to get especially exciting of late. Last year she was asked to join Fly My Pretties, a NZ supergroup featuring a revolving cast of some of the premiere musicians found in Aotearoa. And now on March 21, Taylah is releasing her debut EP, Tilt.

I reached out to Tay to see if she’d be down to do an interview to help promote the new release.

Joseph (Will Not Fade): Hi Tay, release day soon! How do you describe your music to people who haven’t heard it?

Taylah: I tell them that I write uplifting neo-soul with a flair of cynicism. You know, just to keep ‘em guessing.

You’ve released singles over the course of your career to date. What made you decide it was time to release a bigger body of work in the form of an EP?

Over 2024, I was writing so much music, and I didn’t know what to do with it. So I created this collection. That’s why the subject matter is so varied for this EP. It covers everything from love, corruption, and sex to magic. It feels like a time stamp of all the lessons I was experiencing over the course of the year.

I’m often really impressed by your lyrics. When writing, how much time do you dedicate to lyrics compared to the music and composition?

I’d say it’s 50/50. I’m still new to producing, so the music creation takes longer because I’m still learning new skills through the project. But writing lyrics is like second nature for me. I write a lot of poems and opinion pieces that never see the light of day, but they tend to pop out through my lyrics. I’m a firm believer that partaking in all art forms will better inform your chosen art form, if that makes sense? Like, doing pottery, cooking, dancing, or woodworking will help me write better lyrics at the end of the day.

Which of your songs are you most proud of?

From this EP, my favourite is ‘Glow’. It’s euphoric, and its message is really beautiful. But from my entire catalogue, my favourite is ‘Today is Hard’. Its lyrical flow is just so pleasing to me.

Last year, you were invited to join Fly My Pretties to co-write their new album Elemental. Tell me about that.

It was the biggest project I’ve ever been a part of. I was flown down to Pōneke for a few songwriting sessions in the beautiful Massey studios to co-write with Laughton Kora (Kora), Barnaby Weir (Black Seeds), Louis TM, and Tawaz. It was such a surreal experience to be creating music with musicians that I’ve listened to since I was a kid. The album we created is incredible, and the live show is even better! The concept surrounds Te Ao Māori and the natural elements. We’ve got another round of shows in Auckland and Christchurch coming up in May/June.

You have Casual Healing doing a guest verse on “Okay”, and you’ve been a featured vocalist on a few EDM tracks. How did that compare to your usual process?

I put on another persona when writing vocals for EDM. I’m more sultry and direct. And the vocals are much more ‘feel’ oriented, so I use a lot of imagery to evoke movement, since dancing is usually the main objective of EDM. It’s been really fun!

You’ve lent your voice to Dera Meelan for previous releases like “After Dark”, what was it like having one of your original tracks remixed by Dera?

It was really cool to see how differently our ears work. When you get a track secured in its pocket, it’s hard to hear it any other way. So a house mix of ‘Sundown’ was really refreshing to hear. Dera has this crazy ability to make sounds that shouldn’t work, musical. It shows in his work with ‘Church & AP’ which I think is vital to their unique sound.

Which musicians have you got on your radar that you’d like to collaborate with?

I would like to write with more Māori artists. I’m on my reo Māori journey, and my dream is to eventually write waiata Māori. So collaborating with artists who are already doing it would be amazing, like MĀ, Lee Stuart, or Jordyn with a Why.

A lot of your early work was produced by Tiny Triumphs, and he has mixed your new EP, but I know you’ve self-produced all your latest releases. How have you found that transition?

Hard. Toby made it look so easy! In all seriousness, though, I have found it both challenging and validating. A big lesson that helped my progress is: writing to my own taste. Instead of trying to sound like someone else, or write ‘radio’ bangers, I’ve learned that if I can listen to it and enjoy it, that’s the tahi. Basically, don’t listen to anyone else’s advice. Keep going.

I really love the covers you do. “Broke” by Samm Henshaw is obviously one that stands out. How do you settle on which songs to cover?

I can feel it in my body. I like to perform songs that feel good to sing, vibrationally. I’ve also really taken to the music coming out of London at the moment, there’s something brewing over there that’s making truly electric music.

You’ve made the shift from your home of Kerikeri to Wellington, and then to Auckland, where you’re currently based. How have things changed for you with each move?

Kerikeri was where I discovered my love of music. Wellington is where I explored different styles, and Auckland is where I’m choosing to launch my career. And I’ve fallen in love with each place. Each step has been vital to my progress as a musician, and I’ve met so many truly inspiring and supportive people throughout.

What do you think success looks like, as a musician?

Well, I used to think it was when lots of other people validated your art. But now, I think it’s the fact that I’m still creating. I still have the itch to write, perform, create, and collaborate. I still feel inspired by other musicians and I still crave connection. THAT is success to me.

Tilt is a big milestone, being your first EP. Where to next?

Well, I’m about to embark on my first headline tour, which feels like such a leap. And once the dust settles for this EP, I’d really like to write a full-length album and maybe get some of those collabs going I was talking about.

Thanks for your time. Is there anything else you’d like to share?

Support local artists! You’ve always offered your help to promote my music, Joe, and that is the mahi that truly supports us small artists. So I appreciate your time and energy to uplift the arts in Aotearoa 🙂

Tilt will be released on March 21 2025, with Taylah doing a three date tour in support of Tilt in March/April.

Tickets can be found via https://linktr.ee/taylahmusic

Taylah links:
https://www.facebook.com/taylahmusic/
https://www.instagram.com/taylahmusicnz/
https://open.spotify.com/artist/2Fu39RmIeY5HD1DGJS4Xk7?si=8A6XkpTSRXabPAU4BrYCRA
https://www.youtube.com/@taylahmusic2897

Taylah at San Fran, July 2023. Photo by Will Not Fade

Live Review: The Flatliners at Valhalla, Wellington

The Flatliners
w/ Departure Party, No Sector and Dimestore Skanks
Valhalla, Wellington
Thursday 27 February 2025

Departure Party started the night off with his one-man folk punk crusade. His vocals reminded me a lot of Laura Jane Grace from Against Me!, especially the Heart Burns record I have, which is more of a solo affair. Heartfelt, impassioned punk vocals sung/shouted over acoustic guitar. Half way through the set he decided that he didn’t want to be onstage, and stepped down into the audience to continue without microphones. He consulted his notebook for a few moments before belting out his final few tunes under a single spotlight. It was a cool moment to create better intimacy, like when King Brothers had done the same thing at Valhalla a few weeks ago.

Next we had No Sector, the most hectic band of the night. Punk is a varied genre at the best of times. What do the Sex Pistols, Ramones and Clash have in common, sonically? Out of the four bands on the bill tonight, No Sector best fit my perception of what punk sounds like, with breakneck speeds and frantic venomous vocals. Later in the night Flatliners singer Chris Cresswell mentioned that he was surprised to see his old friend Leo in the band, who he’d worked alongside at his very first job and hadn’t seen in about a decade.

Dimestore Skanks always bring the party, and tonight was no exception. All seven members brought plenty of energy, skanking and shouting and generally having a blast. Dimestore have been a staple for many years now, and it was more than evident that they are well seasoned performers. They’d joke about being out of breath and unpracticed and in need of a break, but they sounded fantastic and had everyone dancing throughout their fantastic set.

Canadian punk rockers The Flatliners formed in 2002. This is their first time coming to New Zealand. That said, Cresswell also sings in Hot Water Music, who played here a few weeks ago. They’d been touring along with Hot Water Music in Australia, but I’d heard that seeing how this was their first time coming here, they wanted to come under their own banner to make up for the wait. They’d just played in Hamilton and Auckland, with Wellington being the last night of a long tour.

People were pumped for this show. Valhalla was packed. Looking around, it was mostly guys from late 30s to mid 40s, hairy in face and not so much in scalp. And a decent smattering of Canadians as well. It was mostly what I term the “Chicks That Scream” crowd – named after the promoters who usually bring the Fat Wreck style punk bands to New Zealand year after year. We saw people with shirts emblazoned with bands like Lagwagon, Strung Out, Hot Water Music, NOFX, Menzingers and the like.

The pit was heaving, swollen with sweaty bodies. A few songs in a woman edged past me to enter the fray. I was surprised – she was about armpit height and and entering a space of unspeakable smells and sensations. But she was a trooper, and remained there for the rest of the night, dutifully belting out every lyric along with the band. It was still funny seeing her physically recoil with disgust every time she got slammed into the back of particularly sweaty shirtless guy in front of her.

The band was lapping it up, welcoming the chaos. Cresswell glistened the entire time, dripping wet like a salamander. He kept calling for the venue to put the heaters on, laughing at how all the bodies jammed into the venue had turned the space into a sauna. I enjoyed his disarming banter, trying to stoke a rivalry between Wellington and Auckland, or encouraging us to grunt “Ooh!” at him throughout the night, to follow our heart. Jon Darbey on bass had a king-teir beard absolutely deserving of remark. Drummer Paul Ramirez had positioned his cymbals comically high, but his playing could not be questioned, transitioning from no-nonsense beats to lighting-fast fills in a flash. And Scott Brigham brought the riffs.

There was plenty of crowd surfing and carry on like that. One punter stormed the stage to hijack a mic and give a speech, publicly thanking the band for coming all this way. It was sweet at first, but got old quickly. You could see the band were too polite (see: Canadian) to kick him off the stage. But they resumed soon enough anyway.

The Flatliners played fourteen songs, drawing more heavily from most recent album, New Ruin, and 2013’s Dead Language, but they touched on material from early in their career too, aware that most people in the audience had never had the opportunities to see those songs played live. Brigham asked everyone to shout requests all at once, obviously a bit. But I think they did stop and alter the planned set list slightly to accommodate.

The band acknowledged that it was late, and it was a school night. But they thanked us for making the night special. I know that every band always says they love the audience, wherever they play. But you also know that Canadians are genuine and nice people, so this carried weight. They stayed back after their set to hand out picks, drumsticks, setlists, sign merch and so on, which was really nice to see in this era of bands charging the earth for VIP meet and great packages.

Thanks so much, turn on the heaters, see you again in another 23 years. Ooh!

Written by Joseph James

Thanks to Sticky Fingaz Tour Management