Welcome to the first in our weekly survey of new tracks that have caught our ears.
Poor Boy
Nadia Reid from the tribute album The Endless Coloured Ways: The Songs of Nick Drake
Nadia Reid joins countrywoman Aldous Harding, Ben Harper, John Grant, Joe Henry, Meshell Ndegeocello, Liz Phair and many more on a new double album covering the songs by Nick Drake, the English singer-songwriter whose brief catalogue has undergone many revivals since his death in 1974 at the age of 26. While some other participants drag their tracks into the present, Reid’s Poor Boy is quite the period restoration piece, with its conga-driven folk-soul groove. It wouldn’t have sounded out of place on the NZBC’s Studio One 50 years ago – and it probably would have won. Reid’s effortless vocal makes it sound as much of a tribute to Joni Mitchell.
Vampire
Olivia Rodrigo from her forthcoming album GUTS
It would be criminal not to put the 20-year-old three-time Grammy winner’s return to the scene on this week’s list. The almost operatic lead single for her new album GUTS has the infectious pace of an ABBA song with Paramore angst. It also serves as a cathartic diss to an older man she was in a relationship with – a déjà vu moment for Taylor Swift fans. Rodrigo revealed via TikTok clean edits of the hook that didn’t make the cut, some less NSFW lines that still rhymed with “blood sucker”. These included whale blubber, garlic butter and Mark Zucker. Very Meta.
Buckle in Baby
Alayna from her album Self Portrait of a Woman Unravelling
The title of Rotorua-raised Alayna’s debut album might suggest harrowing Yoko-like soul-baring, but over sympathetic settings, she embraces the classic songwriters (Dylan, Cohen) she grew up with as much as current R&B soul. From her debut album out now.
Tropical
Seth Haapu from his album Whai Ora
Slinky Pacific soul with just enough of a balmy yacht-rock vibe to locate it between radio-friendly soul and pop. From his album reviewed in the July 15 issue.
Rock n Roll Heart
Lucinda Williams from her album Stories from a Rock n Roll Heart
Williams celebrates the redemption and release rock’n’roll delivers, and with Bruce Springsteen on hand, we’re taken back to his early days when “we learned more from a three-minute record than we ever learned in school” and Sherry Darling’s mother “was yapping away in the backseat”. From her album, out on July 14.
Waves
Beastwars from their forthcoming album Tyranny of Distance
Be very afraid. Beastwars are back and they’ve come for your record collection. The Wellington metal-grinders’ fifth album due out in October is all covers of New Zealand songs mostly from gentler necks of the woods, including tracks by Nadia Reid, Julia Deans and Marlon Williams as well as past Flying Nun outfits the Gordons, Children’s Hour, Snapper, the 3Ds and Superette. Waves is a Superette song that Beastwars have welded together with another big-riff Superette track, Saskatchewan. If you know the originals, it’s astonishing. That’s Deans on backing vocals. No, it’s fine, she’s okay. She just got carried away in the excitement.
