Marlin’s Dreaming HIRL NZ Tour 2024

Dunedin Indie Pop outfit Marlin’s Dreaming have announced a nine date tour of Australia & New Zealand to celebrate the release of their new album HIRL due later this year and the band’s first since the critically acclaimed record Hasten in 2021.

Following on from their folk-accented single Earnestly (featuring Erny Belle) last month, Marlin’s Dreaming’s new track Hello, My Dear dances between softly spoken country verse, towering chorus, and back again with the vocal dynamism of frontman Semisi Ma’ia’i.

Recorded between the renowned Roundhead Studios and an airy room in Central Otago, Hello, My Dear takes on bold sonorous production reminiscent of the band’s earliest work. The single is accompanied by a music video directed by Semisi, in which an ascetic artist isolated from the world around him interacts with past and future versions of himself.

Marlin’s Dreaming is an indie pop band from Dunedin, New Zealand. Formed in 2017 by longtime friends Semisi Ma’ia’i (Vocals & guitar), Oscar Johns (Bass), Hamish Morgan (Drums) & De Stevens (Guitar), the band found unexpected success with their debut album Lizard Tears (2017) which garnered international acclaim including from COMPLEX who called it an “exciting, intoxicating debut”.

Subsequent releases like Talk On/Commic (2018) and Quotidian (2020) showcased their evolution into angular guitars and angst-driven melodies, earning praise from publications like CLASH, NME & Brooklyn Vegan. Their introspective 2021 release Hasten was an acoustically driven album exploring themes of post-pandemic life in New Zealand’s desolate, rugged south island.

They have toured with Parquet Courts, The Chills, Kirin J Callinan & Dope Lemon. Having played sold-out tours across Australia and New Zealand & played Marlin’s Dreaming continues to push the musical boundaries, heightening guitar pop to a fine art.