Gin Wigmore is back with a new song and a new project.
Hallow Fate is the first single from her upcoming fourth album, combining light-as-air piano with deep bass, heavy drums and Wigmore's trademark gravelly vocals.
The project is Girl Gang, focusing on art, music and female empowerment. Over the next eight months, Wigmore will release five songs, each one a collaboration with a different female artist.
The artists are asked to use their song as inspiration for their creations, and as each song is released the art will be shared across social media.
For the first part of the project, San Diego tatooist Briana Sargent created a tattoo inspired by Hallow Fate.
Auckland singer Tali has released a song to draw attention to the objectification of women and raise money for Women's Refuge.
"As a feminist and someone who's always trying to rise up and encourage and inspire women in this male dominated industry I work in - I'm sick of seeing our country view women as mere objects of sexuality, or subjects on which to lay hate or blame. I feel because of the message of this track, its contemporary vibe and the music video we are shooting, that it will connect with many different people and be shared many times over," Tali says.
Powerful, by Tali, produced by Melinki & Verva and featuring rapper Melodownz, is out now.
The Modern Māori Quartet are releasing two songs to celebrate Matariki. Māreikura, released last week, is in te reo and was written to acknowledge women "as the pillars that provide the foundation of our world".
The Modern Māori Quartet. Photo/Supplied
Kai Song, released this Friday, celebrates the act of sharing kai with whanau. The band said in a statement: "We feel blessed to have amazing ringawera (those that prepare the food) in our MMQ whānau, keeping us fed both in body and spirit so it was only natural for us to write this delicious and hearty song to say thank you and we want to gift this song freely in that spirit of thanks".
That's right - Kai Song can be downloaded for free from Friday June 30 from www.modernmaoriquartet.nz.
Kane Strang. Photo/Supplied
Kane Strang is home this week to release his second album Two Hearts and No Brain, and a new video for the song My Smile Is Extinct.
Strang is back from a series of gigs and engagements across the UK and EU.
Recorded in his hometown of Dunedin at the Chick's Hotel studio, Strang teamed up with producer Stephen Marr from Doprah for Two Hearts and No Brain.
The video for My Smile Is Extinct is a collaboration with Christchurch film-maker Julian Vares.
- SoundBites is a weekly compilation of music bits and bobs, and also appears in NZME's regional newspapers.
