The fortnightly five - 28 April 2026
A rundown of five fresh items on my headphones for the last fortnight.
Amamelia - The Joy of Living (Bandcamp)
Following her 2024 Aotearoa Music Award win for Best Electronic Artist (Te Manu Taki Tāhiko o te Tau), Amamelia returns with her next full album The Joy Of Living. This is soaked with squishy, bubbly synth that's reminiscent of innocence, delight and pleasure. It picks up all the joy of being a wide-eyed child in this big promising world. At the same it's intensely sophisticated with glimmering hooks, clever rhythms and fantastic use of field recordings (crickets, birds, kittens purring!). I'd be remiss not to mention the video for The Floating Opera and how Simon Ward's work absolutely sparkles, the collab team of dreams. This is the light I need in bleak times.
Spacemoth - Do We Exist? (Official Site)
Continuing on with the theme of bubbly electronic existentialism, California based record producer, engineer & noisemaker Spacemoth has unveiled the official video for the first single, ”Do We Exist?” taken from her upcoming album, “Inward Eye”. Though poppy and upbeat, the repeated lyrics of "we’re all alone in this world" take the listener on a journey of inner reflection. A deep feel of 70's sci-fi haunts this track. Driven by an 8-note bass groove, it drives towards a psychedelic cloud of looped ray-run melodies, bubbling arpeggios, and a generous dash of fuzz.
Hemi Hemingway Ft. Vera Ellen - Oh, My Albertine (Bandcamp)
My favourite track from "Wings of Desire" the second full album from Te-Whanganui-A-Tara croonster Hemi Hemingway. Released a few months ago, I was too unwell to attend his concert last weekend. So I've been revisiting the album with zest. Though this song has a slowed-down alt-country lilt. The rest of the album is a semi-earnest, semi-cheesy blend of doo-wop broken-heartedness and 80's future synth. It features grand drum beats, spoonfuls of sultry sax solos and neon synths, all pulled together with boyish charisma. This is Melodramtic romance with panache.
Breaches - Spin Me Around (Linktree)
Keeping with the theme of Pōneke romance, Breaches saw me drowning in a swirling soft-gaze dreamland. They inhabit a space between shadow and echo. Driven by dark glowered vocals and somber bass lines, overlaid with glimmering guitar work and ethereal synth. Their new EP "Seeds" puts a mark in the ground for them, and rumour is they are working on a full-length album soon.
Elektronik Girl Epic - I Love Stealing From Woolies (Bandcamp)
Popping up in my socials feeds last week, curiosity got the better of me. Happy hardcore / Hardbass wasn't on my bingo card for my 2026 top 10, but I'm not mad about it. My mind boggles at how this can simultaneously be the most Bogan and yet the most Slavic thing I've ever seen. I cannot get enough of this 185 Bpm of bottled rage at corporate greed and joyful acts of civic disobedience.
