Best New Zealand Music of the Week: February 9th-15th

Stay up to date with New Zealand music with Rolling Stone AU/NZ’s weekly roundup.

Check out the best new music from Aotearoa acts released between February 9th-15th below!

Earth Tongue – Dungeon Vision

Tracked live to tape, Earth Tongue’s third album Dungeon Vision pulses with human energy, fuzz guitars, bone-battering drums, and hauntingly tuneful vocals. They worked alongside garage king Ty Segall to record and mix the album in just ten days at Altamira Sound in Los Angeles.

Katchafire (ft. Ali Campbell) – “Seriously”

The first single from Katchafire’s forthcoming album Revival 2.0 Guest Edition (due out November 27th), “Seriously” features UB40’s Ali Campbell, who says it was a “real privilege” to collaborate with the iconic New Zealand group. A new single will drop every month leading up to the album’s release, including Australia’s Emily Warramara and Hawaii’s Mike Love, among others.

Alayna – Set Her Free

With her second album, alayna is inviting listeners on a transformative journey through the multifaceted nature of love – self-love, love in womanhood, and love in romantic partnership. Written over a year and a half, Set Her Free emerged through waves of creation – from a writing camp in Bali, to a writing trip in Los Angeles, before being woven together alongside executive producer Ben Malone in Aotearoa.

Bic Runga – Red Sunset

Recorded in Paris during the winter of 2025, Red Sunset is Bic Runga’s first album of original songs since 2011’s Belle. Co-produced by Runga and Kody Nielson, the record captures a reflective, quietly expansive chapter in the career of one of Aotearoa’s most enduring songwriters.

Six60 – Right Here Right Now

Right Here Right Now sees Six60 reconnect with the raw, roots-driven energy that first put them on the map – while carrying the confidence and clarity earned through years at the top. Recorded entirely live in just three days, with every final track captured in a single take, the album is Six60 at their most immediate and unfiltered.

Vera Ellen – “Gayfever”

The lead single off her forthcoming album Heaven Knows What Time (due out May 1st), “Gayfever” is an anthem of joy, dedicated to a person so infatuating they were deserving of their own singalong. The record follows a period of unconventionality, during which Vera Ellen learned to embrace the chaos that comes with being a self-sustained artist in today’s culture.

Caitlin – “You’re Only Good to Calm Me Down”

Following the reflective thread of earlier releases “Wash” and “Outline”, Caitlin’s new single “You’re Only Good to Calm Me Down” explores the moments when comfort comes at the cost of growth. Self-produced with the help of Will McGillivray, the song’s themes run throughout her forthcoming EP Guardrails (due out April 10th).

Missrosevalentina – “The Spectator”

Missrosevalentina’s “The Spectator” fits in a unique space of bass-heavy electropop, while emulating New Zealand’s classic rock sound and pointed-tongue-in-cheek lyricism. It is the lead to the musician’s upcoming gothic-pop EP Bite (due out March 12th).

Minnie Robberds – “Dirt”

The third and final taste of Minnie Robberds’ upcoming debut EP Goodnight Dogs (due out later this year), “Dirt” was written in an afternoon punctuated by really needing to stand up to get rid of pins and needles, boiling the jug, and letting the tea go cold. The song is about questions that, if asked, would only lead to more questions, and a glance backwards that lingered too long. Like Caitlin, Robberds recorded the song with Will McGillivray, and later had it mastered by Greg Obis.

Theia – “Holy War II”

Theia has collaborated with Sweetshop Entertainment, the producers of the newly released feature film MĀRAMA, alongside songwriter Karl Steven, to create a new audio recording and music video titled “Holy War II”. Reimagined from her original song “Holy War”, the new single has been recorded specifically for the film.

Greta Van Den Brink – “Mr Ego”

Off her forthcoming album This Wasn’t Planned (due out in May), Greta Van Der Brink’s “Mr Ego” is a sharp, emotionally charged track that cuts through performative masculinity and emotional avoidance. It pairs biting lyricism with her signature confessional storytelling and cinematic sound.

Aro – “Mundane”

Released alongside an evocative music video, “Mundane” explores the cycles of everyday life — the repetitive rhythms people get stuck in, and the deep yearning to break free. Beautifully following Aro’s last release, “Puna Ora”, the new single is about believing deeply in the kaupapa, yet finding ourselves caught in behaviours that hold us back from truly growing.

Fables – “Eyes Closed”

The third taste of Fables’ forthcoming album Change Is a Slow-Moving Beast (due out later this year), “Eyes Closed” unfolds as a delicate indie-folk dreamscape, moving at a sedate, unhurried pace. Ending with a swelling rush of synthesisers followed by a spare acoustic coda, it’s a pretty song that conceals darker emotional currents beneath its glossy surface.

Frankie Venter – A Big Deal to Me

Frankie Venter’s debut EP, A Big Deal to Me, marks a defining moment in the early stages of her career. Crafted across 2025, it was created alongside frequent collaborator Rory Noble, founder of her label Five AM. The EP reflects Venter’s genre-blending approach, moving fluidly between pop and alternative influences while maintaining a cohesive narrative throughout.