Making Tracks with The MOST FM: Artist Interviews

Comfort Soups is a Dream Pop ballad about the darkness hidden under the pleasant outward expressions of an Asian woman. This is the song that made the singer-songwriter fall in love with songwriting. She was going through some disappointments, but the people around her expected her to move on. She felt angry and lonely in her sadness. Through writing the song, she felt her feelings were being hear...

‘Baited’ incorporates the group's classic pop hooks with a twist of punk and angst, beckoning an exciting new era with a refreshed sound for the band. Also being released is an epic new music video directed by David Argue - bringing just the right darkness and angst to match the track’s empowering message. This electric new release joins Coast Arcade's widely adored discography, including...

Formed in early 2023, Psycho Gab is the force that challenges everything you thought you knew about good music. A five-piece, neo-soul band based in Tāmaki Makaurau, the group have cultivated a unique sound formed at the crossroads between soul, RnB, jazz and pop, leaving endless possibilities of smooth grooves up for exploration. Their debut single ‘Messy’ was released in 2023 and saw love from a...

Spring is promising, hopeful, colourful and a time for blossoming. Many writers and poets have written about it, musicians have sung about it, artists have painted it, all trying to capture the feelings that spring evokes after a long winter. Since it's just around the corner for us in Aotearoa, I wanted to spread some spring joy early. The first half of ‘The Heart of Spring’ was completed in...

Originally from New Zealand, Alternative Pop group Skymachine is known for their indie nostalgia andenergetic live shows, synth tapestries and weightedlyrics. Formed by multi-instrumentalist Brydon, their debut EP 'Young Guns' was championed by curator Alex Rainbird, receiving over 1 million YouTube streams inonly six weeks, and was followed up by ‘IWTKWYLF' in 2018. That year they als...

Joe Kearns is a Christchurch born and bred singer-songwriter who's been plying his trade in Chch and trying to get his unique poppy songs heard. Formerly a student of the University of Canterbury's School of Music where he has an honours degree majoring in composition, he's just released his 10th single full of his usual pop sensibilities with intelligent and interesting lyrics. 'C...

Based in Wellington, this year, First Reserve has played alongside international acts Hot Mulligan (US), and Movements (US), as well as local legends Wet Denim, There's A Tuesday, and Daffodils. Previous singles have received airplay on Radio One, and new single "alice" combines hard-hitting rock instrumentation with ear-worm hooks.

Aotearoa’s beloved and platinum-selling Avalanche City (AKA Dave Baxter) has today released an introspective new single ‘Keep That Love’ - his first in five years. A delicate acoustic guitar creates the bed for a gently expanding soundscape; layers of backing vocals, gentle synths and atmospheric guitars working together to evoke a sense of poignant reflection and hope. “‘Keep That Love’ is really...

Ardon England, a multifaceted force in New Zealand's music landscape. A Māori artist, Ardon is a bold advocate for diversity and inclusion, infusing his unique blend of genres with unapologetic creativity and raw emotion. With a background steeped in dance and performance artistry, Ardon's journey into music was inevitable. Over two decades, he's traversed stages nationwide, captivatin...

A culmination of dreamy vocals and experiential sound, Goodnight My Darling is the vision and project of up and coming Wellington based singer-songwriter Maxine Macaulay.  With elements of shoegaze, folk and dreamy melody, Macaulay says her ever evolving vibe is a poetic expression of her life and the places around her. Her songs take you on a cinematic journey, while her ethereal vocals lull you...

NZ born, international breakthrough artist Robinson has returned with her first single of 2024, the soaring new track ‘The War On Art’, out today. An impatient, driving guitar with dark undertones are matched with Robinson’s emotive, powerfully raw vocal performance. When the chorus hits, ‘The War On Art’ is stadium ready; stacked with vocals and a massive rhythm section, as Robinson lyrically ope...

Auckland-based Daily J continue to take the globe by storm with their signature blend of indie-rock and indie-pop; today dropping a new tune - the nostalgic and sentimental ‘Happy Slides’.  It’s been an action packed few years for the local lads (three brothers Jayden, Jonny and Jesse Paul and good mate Rick Everard), who have earned a reputation as one of New Zealand music’s most successful expor...

Aotearoa’s rising indie artist Rita Mae has returned with her first single of 2024, the unapologetically anthemic new single and video ‘Kiss The Sky’, co-written with The Naked and Famous’ award-winning artist Alisa Xayalith. Oscillating between chill, acoustic verses and full noise, grungy, stadium-ready choruses, ‘Kiss The Sky’ sonically mirrors its lyrical meaning, being a “greedy, indulgent so...

Sam Cullen’s sound is far from what you might expect of a 23 year-old born and raised on theedge of the world in Invercargill - the bottom of New Zealand. With genuine lyrics drawn from lived experience and a rock and roll meets pop driving energy, the now Auckland-based artist is a force to be reckoned with. Since 2022’s ‘Run’ - EP, Sam has honed his stadium rock influences and completes his next...

Following the success of her 2023 singles ‘Runway of Reality’ and ‘Cellular’, today’s release puts on full display Frau Knotz’s drive to consistently push boundaries. An ethereal and mysterious piece, ‘Odyssey I’ showcases what Frau Knotz does best; emotive storytelling through vocal performance amongst unchartered sonic realms.

Skinnyandsoft is the moniker of Lou Smith, a 24-year-old singer/songwriter from and based in Taranaki. He previously released a single with Tyson Ritter, the frontman of the All American Rejects, and released a single with fellow NZ artist Rita Mae. dmg_cntrl is one of two singles that release on 03/29, leading off the rollout of skinnyandsoft's debut album "showhilla".

The vibrant and dynamic Taranaki based 9-piece band, Banana Mundo, is thrilled to announce the release of their latest single, "Driving Around". Known for their electrifying live performances and a unique blend of musical styles, Banana Mundo takes listeners on a journey with a song that encapsulates the freedom and exhilaration of hitting the road. "Driving Around" is a lively...

NZ-South African band  The Transits  have released their self-titled debut album + new single/video  'Heartbreak Queen' -  both receiving local and international praise! Since they started releasing music just one year ago, they have been on the  South Africa Top 40  multiple times and  NZ RadioScope Alt Chart  – and since Friday's release they’ve placed on 3 x  Apple Music  playlists,...

Tāmaki Makaurau based indie-pop delight Geoff Ong has today released his latest single ‘When it Gets Easy’. ‘When it Gets Easy’ delves into intimate reflections on the journey of growing up and unpacking big feelings. Geoff’s knack for catchy pop hooks, paired with a driving beat and bright guitar licks, have built what he hopes will become an “upbeat and hopeful anthem for people who are also won...

Ōtautahi indie-folk artist Fraser Ross has today released the title track single and music video from his much-anticipated upcoming album ‘Thunderhead’. A mesh of folk, indie and soft-rock - with the perfect balance of melancholia and hope, ‘Thunderhead’ is set to become another successful track in Fraser’s discography. ‘Thunderhead’ is a deeply personal reflection written as a documentary of Fras...

Auckland indie-rockers PARK RD return with the new single, ‘Every Night’, their first new release for 2024. An upbeat-slice of indie-pop, ‘Every Night’ sees the band wearing its influences proudly on its sleeves, embracing a sound similar to The 1975 and Spacey Jane. Jangly guitars from Angus Hampton-Carr and Leo Crawshaw-Bond combine, alongside a soaring call-and-response chorus ready-made for th...

“Get out and see the world” is the message in this global collaboration between New Zealand based Swiss-kiwi indie pop artist Sonic Delusion and Swiss producer Timtime. “Have you ever been to Paris, Istanbul, Peru?” Make the most of your time on this planet and enjoy the beautiful wonders this world has to offer. The joint venture from opposite ends doesn’t stop there, Timtime remixed this upbeat...

Nelson originating indie-rock band, Steezy’s Touch is thrilled to announce the release of the first single of their upcoming EP for 2024 ‘Lemoncake’. Front man Tom Mitchener stated “Lemoncake is without a doubt our biggest song yet, it’s been in the works for a while now and we’re unbelievably stoked to be able to release it” Lemoncake is the band’s first release for 2024 and they are in high hope...

Fool of Stars are a synth-rock/shoegaze outfit based in Ōtepoti, New Zealand. Consisting of Olive Ward on vocals and guitar, Jacob Smith on organ/bass, and Max White on drums, the group fuses the textural paintings of shoegaze with the instantly appealing melodic hooks of dream pop. “Sol 127” is perhaps the catchiest release from Fool of Stars thus far. The intro features every instrument entering...

Thomas Powers, co-founder of the award-winning synth-pop band The Naked And Famous, has today unveiled ‘Sleep and/or Rest’. The fourth single to be shared from his upcoming debut LP A TYRANT CRYING IN PRIVATE, set for release this year.