The Beths – Straight Line Was a Lie (Anti-) (13th Floor Album Review)
From the first fuzzed-up guitar riff to the final jubilant outro, The Beths’ fourth album, Straight Line Was a Lie, reveals a band in full command of its material and entering a new creative phase.
Kathleen Edwards – Billionaire (Dualtone) (13th Floor Album Review)
Kathleen Edwards has always been a songwriter who tells stories through the details: a hockey team that cannot win, a car driven across Los Angeles, a door painted pink. Through vivid detail and a deep sense of place, she turns the specific into something relatable and universal.
Wolf Alice – The Clearing (Mushroom) (13th Floor Album Review)
With The Clearing, their fourth album, Wolf Alice channel every lesson from the past decade into a record that feels elemental in its confidence. This is a band deep in the groove of their own creative force.
Halestorm – Everest (Atlantic) (13th Floor Album Review)
A surprising new producer helps Halestorm make a surprisingly great album.
The Black Keys -No Rain, No Flowers (Easy Eye Sound/Warner Records)
It’s lucky 13 for The Black Keys…well, luckier than last year when they were forced to cancel a tour and fire their management.
Ed Ackman – Cocoon An EP in 4 Genres (13th Floor EP Review)
Ed Ackman has just released Cocoon: An EP In 4 Genres and The 13th Floor’s Alex Robertson has made some rather startling discoveries about how and why this music was made.
Marissa Nadler – New Radiations (Bella Union) (13th Floor Album Review)
New Radiations, the tenth studio album by Marissa Nadler, is a slow-burning, hypnotic immersion into shadowed soundscapes and aching introspection.
Bret McKenzie – Freak Out City (Sub Pop Records) (13th Floor Album Review)
If Bret McKenzie isn’t already an officially designated national treasure then it’s about time somebody made him one.
No Joy – Bugland (Hand Drawn Dracula) (13th Floor Album Review)
Canadian artist Jasamine White-Gluz is the creative force behind No Joy, originally a two-piece hailing from Montreal, now she performs and records solo having shifted to rural Quebec.
Butter Wouldn’t Melt – Where the Roots Grow Deep (Old River Records)
Kiwis may not be enamoured by what’s going on in the U.S. these days but many do have an enduring love affair with American music traditions.
Hayes Carll – We’re Only Human (HWY 87) (13th Floor Album Review)
With We’re Only Human, his tenth album, Hayes Carll trades the wry observations of modern absurdity for something more introspective and tender, though no less sharp.
The Response – Novel Idea (13th Floor Album Review)
The depth of music in this land is extraordinary. A month ago I hadn’t heard of The Response, yet here they are on repeat in my head, playing on he inner jukebox in the most delicious way.
Hannah Virk – Pocket Clocks (13th Floor Album Review)
In her second album, Pocket Clocks, Hannah Virk stretches her sonic palette and lyrical ambition, as she swaps the domestic interiors of her debut, Upstairs / Downstairs, for a world governed by ticking clocks and algorithmic rhythms. It is a lo-fi, thoughtful, and distinctive meditation on time, technology, and identity, full of charm and intelligence.
Alex Warren – You’ll Be Alright, Kid (Atlantic) (13th Floor Album Review)
Heartfelt singer-songwriter Alex Warren has finally dropped his first full-length album, titled You’ll be Alright, Kid. Composed of 21 tracks, many of these songs will no doubt tug at the heartstrings of listeners and provoke reactions that are ripe for reflection.
Napoleon Baby – Everybody’s Watching and Nobody Cares (13th Floor Album Review)
Auckland-based post-punk and indie band Napoleon Baby have finally released their debut album, titled Everybody’s Watching and Nobody Cares. A bold statement for a society that often feels like it’s fraying at the edges, Napoleon Baby might just be what’s needed in the music scene right now.
Don and the Divorcees – Bit Players (13th Floor Album Review)
On Bit Players, Don and the Divorcees invite us into quiet rooms where we might sit alone, delivering a debut album that leans into subtlety, silences, and songcraft.
Danica Bryant – Feast (13th Floor Album Review)
Wellington-based pop artist Danica Bryant has finally dropped her highly anticipated album, Feast. Exploring musings on topics like growing up, neurodiversity, sexuality and femininity, Danica has created a relatable record that’s eclectic, catchy and fun. In a year when Danica has hit new heights, this is just the freshest one she’s conquered.
Paul McLaney – The Daylight Moon (13th Floor Album Review)
Majestic and meditative. Two words that immediately surface in response to Paul McLaney’s new offering The Daylight Moon. After a long run of albums as the constant presence in ‘post-prog’ band Gramsci, McLaney now offers a solo project.
No Cigar – Under the Surface (13th Floor Album Review)
No Cigar have carved out a place as one of Aotearoa’s most distinctive alt-rock exports, threading together indie rock, coastal grooves, and emotional candour since their formation in 2019.
Chris Stamey – Anything Is Possible (Label 51 Recordings) 13th Floor Album Review
On his latest album Anything Is Possible, Chris Stamey, a founding member of The dBs, finely crafts a record of musical memory, stitched together from echoes of past masters, fleeting lyrical references, and the enduring emotional architecture of classic pop.