The Naked and Famous have released their third album ahead of a major North American tour.
Simple Forms was recorded in Los Angeles, where they've been based for three years.
The band say the album is a return to the sound of their debut Passive Me Aggresive You - which produced the hits Young Blood and Punching In A Dream.
Band member Thom Powers said in an interview the album was "a very vocal album" and back to being quite bright.
Check out lyric videos for tracks Higher, Laid Low, The Runners and Falling on YouTube.
Tali has announced a new EP due next month.
KETA will feature I Fly Over You, her collaboration with Kings, along with How To Get High and Berlin.
According to publicity, KETA is a combination of "lush, electronic-infused soul and house and techno-influenced vibes, no doubt inspired from Tali's time spent recently in Berlin".
Tali said: "Every producer on the EP perfectly understood what I wanted and provided me with tunes that encapsulate my visions of life, love, fantasy, parallel universes, travel, the past, and the future."
The EP is out November 4.
Expect new material soon from Nomad, nominees for Breakthrough Artist of the Year at this year's Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards.
They'll be hoping to follow in the footsteps of last year's winner Marlon Williams, an artist they've supported live.
Their single Oh My My has had 165,000 views on YouTube in four months.
Nomad have also worked with Dave Dobbyn, who produced their debut single, and racked up a No 2 hit on the Kiwi music singles chart.
The music awards are on November 17.
Other nominees for Breakthrough Artist are Sachi, Leisure and Kings.
Revisit a classic
With Stevie Nicks set to re-release deluxe editions of her first two albums, it's worth having another listen to her debut Bella Donna.
The 1981 album included the hit Edge of Seventeen and two outstanding duets in Stop Draggin My Heart Around with Tom Petty and Leather And Lace with Don Henley.
SoundBites Extra:
Bernie Griffen and Kirsten Warner are set to embark on a 15-date nationwide tour.
The pair will be performing material from Bernie Griffen and The Thin Men's album Salvation along with the poetry of Kirsten Warner.
Bernie Griffen is a story-teller: penning songs about characters real and imagined, existing in a world of criminals and saints, dusty feet and wounded hearts. Radio New Zealand's Trevor Reekie described Bernie as "a national treasure".
Once known as "grandfather of punk", Griffen has been described by RNZ's Trevor Reekie as "a national treasure". i
Kirsten Warner is a writer, poet, journalist and musician. She has written, edited or contributed to more than 10 non-fiction books and her novel has just been accepted for publication.
The Salvation Tour NZ dates:
Thursday 3rd November:
Picton - Le Café
Friday 4th November:
Mapua - The Playhouse Theatre
Saturday 5th November:
Blackball - The Blackball Hilton
Friday 11th November:
Barrytown - The Barrytown Settler's Hall
Saturday 12th November:
Christchurch - Blue Smoke
Thursday 17th November:
Invercargill - House Concert**
Friday 18th November:
Wanaka - Gin & Raspberry
Saturday 19th November:
Gore - House Concert**
Sunday 20th November:
Dunedin - The Edinburgh Folk Club
Thursday 24th November:
Oamaru - The Grain Store
Friday 25th November:
Queenstown - The Sherwood Hotel
Thursday 1st December:
Wellington - The Third Eye
w/ The Thin Men
Friday 2nd December:
Whanganui - Whanganui Musician's Club
w/ The Thin Men
Saturday 3rd December:
Raumati - The Raumati Social Club
w/ The Thin Men
Monday 5th December:
Auckland - The Devonport Folk Club at The Bunker
w/ The Thin Men
Further North Island dates to follow
New York hardcore punk legends H2O have announced a New Zealand gig in March.
The band will play Whammy! Bar on March 1 in support of their sixth studio album Use Your Voice.
Tickets from Under The Radar.