Six60.
"This is for the world" is the first thing you'll hear on Six60's new record, as front man Matiu Walters makes the band's ambitions clear from the start. Six60 want to go global, and to do that, they've tweaked their sound.
Rave-rock anthems like Forever and Rise Up from the
Dunedin five-piece's first record have disappeared, replaced with soulful R&B jams and upbeat summer anthems.
It's a bold move, but there are times Six60 nail their new direction: Early piano ballad Mothers Eyes comes across like the best kind of Sam Smith tear-jerker, Exhale is a pop-rock slowburner in the mould of recent Kings of Leon releases, and you can imagine Special's singalong hooks echoing around stadium walls when they tour in May.
There are moments that will help ignite festival shows, like old school party starter Stay Together, and the upbeat trumpet jam White Lines. It's almost a surprise when Six60 deliver a burst of grimy synths on the otherwise circumspect Die For, reminding you they haven't completely forgotten their roots.
But if you don't like their new sound, Walters' line on cruisy campfire closure Last Ones Left seems aimed at you: "F*** all the rest, I haven't got time for negativity."
