With a win for New Zealand music after Lorde took home two Grammys, Hamilton band The Latest Fallout have big hopes for this year.
Lead singer Brendan Pyper, says their new album uses more vocal effects, like those of Lorde but keeping to their own genre, and reflects what he has learnt as a music student at Wintec over the past three years.
The band began three years ago and has been gradually growing their fan base, with over 5000 likes on their band Facebook page.
The Latest Fallout's new album contains 11 songs and will showcase the developments in the band over the past two years, since their first EP.
"I've learnt a lot more as a musician being at tech, I've learnt a lot more of what I can and can't do. With the EP all I knew was to sing, and maybe a harmony here and there.
"Now on the album there are a whole lot of vocal effects, just adding to the songs and making them what you'd expect and hope we'd do."
Brendan says since Lorde made her mark on the industry, the world is keeping a close eye on New Zealand for new music.
"From what I have learnt from Billboard - top 100 charts in America - they put out a prediction for this year, and they reckon the whole world is banking on New Zealand artists and bands since Lorde. They've started looking at our country now."
The band now has a new base player, Hamish McKenzie, after former base player Matt Ogden left to pursue other interests. The line-up consists of guitarist and original member Jared Stevenson, drummer Jeremy Badger, and Brendan, who along with being lead singer, is the manager and an original member.
Currently embarking on their anti-bullying tour around the North Island, the band will also appear on the Good Morning show.
Between studying and the band, Brendan works part-time on a Matamata farm and says he could not ask for a better job to complement his music ambitions.
"It is a lot of hours spent on a tractor, so I find that time I have a lot of time to sit and think about melodies and lyrics. Wide open spaces where I can yell and sing and do whatever. It is really freeing."
Brendan says his overall goal for the band in the long run is to be as big as Paramore. "I just want to do everything."
"I want to open for Paramore, I want to play at Van Warped tour, I want to do a worldwide tour, I want to have heaps of music videos, and I want to have our song on the music charts. As long as we get somewhere; to be able to sell out shows, have people watching us, that's what I want."
The Latest Fallout is playing in Paeroa on May 17 with Titanium.
Look them up online, www.facebook.com/TheLatestFallout