{"id":2401270,"date":"2026-05-04T11:08:04","date_gmt":"2026-05-04T11:08:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2401270"},"modified":"2026-05-04T11:08:04","modified_gmt":"2026-05-04T11:08:04","slug":"best-new-zealand-music-of-the-week-april-27th-may-3rd","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/best-new-zealand-music-of-the-week-april-27th-may-3rd\/","title":{"rendered":"Best New Zealand Music of the Week: April 27th-May 3rd"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Stay up to date with Aotearoa music with <em>Rolling Stone AU\/NZ<\/em>\u2019s weekly roundup.<\/p>\n<p>Check out the best new music from Kiwi acts released between April 27th-May 3rd below!<\/p>\n<h3>Casual Healing \u2014 <em>ONE<\/em><\/h3>\n<p>Casual Healing released <em>ONE<\/em>, the final instalment in his ambitious four-part elemental EP series.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c<em>ONE<\/em> is the end of one chapter and the beginning of another as we discover higher and wider what it means to be human in the 21st century,\u201d he says. \u201cKeep your eyes on <span class=\"il\">Casual <\/span><span class=\"il\">Healing<\/span> as we witness music return to its natural mode of bringing many people together.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"op-interactive\"><iframe title=\"Spotify Embed: ONE\" style=\"border-radius: 12px\" width=\"400\" height=\"352\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"\" allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/album\/6kthogeWSemNbKOLEcIWFp?si=E1qe6XIkT5aGB-HCDYCb8Q&amp;utm_source=oembed\"><\/iframe><\/figure>\n<h3><strong>PARK RD \u2014 \u201cBurn Away\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>T\u0101maki Makaurau indie rockers PARK RD may now be based in Sydney, but their indie rock still sounds as sharp as ever.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBurn Away\u201d is their first release of the year, which arrives as PARK RD embark on a short but sweet Australian tour, including support slots for San Cisco and Pacific Avenue.<\/p>\n<div class=\"observer-sub-form justify-content-center my-3 p-0 d-flex align-items-stretch bg-dark text-white\">\n<div class=\"observer-sub-form-info p-3\" style=\"justify-content: start;\">\n<h2 class=\"h5 mb-0 observer-title\">Love Music?<\/h2>\n<p class=\"observer-desc mb-2\"> Get your daily dose of everything happening in Australian\/New Zealand music and globally.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"spinner d-none\"> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"op-interactive\">\n<div class=\"jeg_video_container jeg_video_content\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"PARK RD - Burn Away [Official Music Video]\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/dgxRHe0CSWA?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<h3><strong>Lace Mine \u2014 \u201cWait\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>\u201cWait\u201d is the latest taste of Lace Mine\u2019s forthcoming EP <em>BODY<\/em>, out May 27th.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI wrote \u2018Wait\u2019 on Vancouver Island, where I lived in a cabin for a month. I wanted the recorded version to capture the same intimacy as singing in a wooden space,\u201d the rising star says.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"op-interactive\">\n<div class=\"jeg_video_container jeg_video_content\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Lace Mine \u2013 Wait (Visualiser)\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/vEGvuavb0dU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<h3>Borderline \u2014 \u201cThat Girl\u201d<\/h3>\n<p>Borderline are ready to share their highly anticipated debut album. Announced last week, their self-titled record will arrive on June 26th via EMPIRE.<\/p>\n<p>We chose new single \u2018That Girl\u2019 as our Video of the Week.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"op-interactive\">\n<div class=\"jeg_video_container jeg_video_content\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Borderline - That Girl (Official Video)\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/BkXPeowzHZ4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<h3><strong>Reb Fountain \u2014 <em>Smoke Signals<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>The prolific Reb Fountain is incapable of releasing a bad record.<\/p>\n<p><em>Smoke Signals<\/em> is a collaborative project between Fountain and producers Dave Khan and Matt Mitchinson, with the tracks compiled as the three friends worked between Sweden and Aotearoa.<\/p>\n<p>The powerhouse trio then came together to complete the recordings in T\u0101maki Makaurau\u2019s Roundhead Studios with assistance from De Stevens.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"op-interactive\"><iframe title=\"Spotify Embed: SMOKE SIGNALS\" style=\"border-radius: 12px\" width=\"400\" height=\"352\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"\" allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/album\/5HUZFGMh7HdsK2BfhsYyrV?si=QSRxIiGJQWyNBmHn3FtP_g&amp;utm_source=oembed\"><\/iframe><\/figure>\n<h3>Adam McGrath \u2014 <em>Wrecker Songs<\/em><\/h3>\n<p>Adam McGrath\u2019s second solo album is a powerful tribute to the 75th anniversary of the Maritime Union of New Zealand, inspired by the stories, struggles, and enduring solidarity woven through the union\u2019s history.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c<em>Wrecker Songs<\/em> started like all good things should start, over a beer in the union hall standing behind Jordan Luck!\u201d McGrath says.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA conversation with Lyttelton MUNZ Secretary Gary Horan about why and how records got made became an idea about what they could do once out in the world, what they could be; about how folk records had to reach beyond the internal maladies that are the usual fodder for singer-songwriters, further into the world in which they inhabit.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"op-interactive\"><iframe style=\"border: 0; width: 350px; height: 470px;\" src=\"https:\/\/bandcamp.com\/EmbeddedPlayer\/album=2760449238\/size=large\/bgcol=ffffff\/linkcol=0687f5\/tracklist=false\/transparent=true\/\" seamless=\"\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/adammcgrath.bandcamp.com\/album\/wrecker-songs\" target=\"_blank\">Wrecker Songs by Adam McGrath<\/a><\/iframe><\/figure>\n<h3>Vera Ellen \u2014 <em>Heaven Knows What Time<\/em><\/h3>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">The Taite Music Prize-winning singer-songwriter\u2019s latest record, <em>Heaven Knows What Time<\/em>, is out now via Flying Nun Records.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">According to a press release, <em>Heaven Knows What Time <\/em>followed a period of \u201cunconventionality\u201d for Allen, during which she learned to \u201cembrace the chaos that comes with being a self-sustained artist in today\u2019s constantly driving culture.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"op-interactive\"><iframe style=\"border: 0; width: 350px; height: 470px;\" src=\"https:\/\/bandcamp.com\/EmbeddedPlayer\/album=1361422725\/size=large\/bgcol=ffffff\/linkcol=0687f5\/tracklist=false\/transparent=true\/\" seamless=\"\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/veraellen.bandcamp.com\/album\/heaven-knows-what-time\" target=\"_blank\">HEAVEN KNOWS WHAT TIME by Vera Ellen<\/a><\/iframe><\/figure>\n<h3>Hans Pucket \u2014 \u201cG.Y.S.S.\u201d<\/h3>\n<p>Chosen to <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/au.rollingstone.com\/music\/music-features\/hans-pucket-interview-split-enz-support-new-single-94342\/\" target=\"_blank\">support the one and only Split Enz<\/a> on their Aotearoa tour, Hans Pucket made sure to come into the shows with a new single.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cG.Y.S.S.\u201d, their first release since their well-received 2022 album <em>No Drama<\/em>, was written out of post-lockdown desperation in the middle of a national winter tour.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">The final recording was a live take at the studio of producer Jonathan Pearce (guitarist for Hans Pucket\u2019s former touring mates <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/au.rollingstone.com\/music\/music-features\/the-beths-liz-stokes-interview-album-tour-86739\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">The Beths<\/a>).<\/p>\n<figure class=\"op-interactive\"><iframe style=\"border: 0; width: 350px; height: 442px;\" src=\"https:\/\/bandcamp.com\/EmbeddedPlayer\/track=3467609860\/size=large\/bgcol=ffffff\/linkcol=0687f5\/tracklist=false\/transparent=true\/\" seamless=\"\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/hanspucket.bandcamp.com\/track\/g-y-s-s\" target=\"_blank\">G.Y.S.S. by Hans Pucket<\/a><\/iframe><\/figure>\n<h3>Drax Project \u2014 \u201c24\/7\u201d<\/h3>\n<p>Yet another dance-pop banger from Drax Project.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c24\/7\u201d was written in a small town in the Netherlands during the band\u2019s visit to Europe last year. It proved to be a fertile writing period for Drax Project, with chart hit \u201cSummer Rain\u201d also being born during the trip.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"op-interactive\">\n<div class=\"jeg_video_container jeg_video_content\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"24\/7\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/a6-ifARjyXU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<h3>Mel Parsons \u2014 \u201cGrain by Grain\u201d<\/h3>\n<p>Mel Parsons announces her seventh studio album, Castle Hill, with a stunning new single, \u201cGrain by Grain\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLoosely, \u2018Grain by Grain\u2019 is an ocean metaphor \u2014 the beach being washed and worn away only to be built back up again; but in a different way, by different tides, on different days,\u201d Parsons says. \u201cThe song embodies a sense of calm \u2014 an acceptance of how things are the present moment.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"op-interactive\">\n<div class=\"jeg_video_container jeg_video_content\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Mel Parsons | Grain by Grain\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Cl8hwNh05G0?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Parsons\u2019 most recent album, <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/au.rollingstone.com\/music\/music-lists\/80-best-new-zealand-albums-of-the-2020s-so-far-78646\/mel-parsons-sabotage-album-78696\/\" target=\"_blank\"><em>Sabotage<\/em><\/a> (2024), earned her multiple award nominations last year.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script>!function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s){if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window,document,'script','https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js');fbq('init','243859349395737');fbq('track','PageView');fbq.disablePushState=true;<\/script><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source au.rollingstone.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Stay up to date with Aotearoa music with Rolling Stone AU\/NZ\u2019s weekly roundup. Check out the best new music from Kiwi acts released between April 27th-May 3rd below! Casual Healing \u2014 ONE Casual Healing released ONE, the final instalment in his ambitious four-part elemental EP series. \u201cONE is the end of one chapter and the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2401272,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25179],"tags":[468889,352752,372862,386253,464931,447504,468890,402871,368805,441302],"class_list":["post-2401270","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-music","tag-adam-mcgrath","tag-borderline","tag-casual-healing","tag-drax-project","tag-hans-pucket","tag-lace-mine","tag-mel-parsons","tag-park-rd","tag-reb-fountain","tag-vera-ellen"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Best-New-Zealand-Music-of-the-Week-April-27th-May-3rd.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2401270","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2401270"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2401270\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2401273,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2401270\/revisions\/2401273"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2401272"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2401270"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2401270"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2401270"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}