Songcrush

This week Tony is joined by poet and journalist Mohamed Hassan, and Strangelove Records boss Ben Stevens, to bring you six brand new tunes. Video, Audio

This battle cry from 37 year old Norwegian Hanne Hukkelberg is the first we’ve heard from her in five years, and while it doesn’t shy away from the experimental sounds she’s known for, it’s quasi-trap…

English shoegaze band Slowdive has a new album coming in May, and they’ve not lost any of their dreamy, woozy appeal. Video

Guaranteed to get the grown-ups bopping their heads, and cracking a knowing smile to some of the Aotearoa hip hop references sprinkled throughout the song. Educational. Infectious. Entertaining… Video

The moody, bleak images enhance the sonic retro palette of this song : Reverby tunes, the washed-out backing vocals and hand claps hark back to late-60s Memphis, and yet the bass and guitar grooves… Video

Rediscovered via its inclusion on the soundtrack to HBO’s new series The Young Pope, this 2004 track from Italian singer Nada is a wistful, cyclical folk gem. Video

It’s a tightrope walk between impassioned political commentary and braggadocio, and as a bonus it absolutely bangs. Video

Imagine floating just beneath your favourite river, ocean or swimming hole looking up at the sky through the clear, undulating waters.

This is immediately the most classically pop structured song I’ve heard from the Wellington songwriter and composer, and perhaps one of the most overtly emo. Video

WYNNE’s mournful vocal elevates the song, delivering a gorgeous baritone melody, then taking it up an octave, only to be dragged back down via pitch-shifting software.

If the first song on an album should be a statement of intent, Californian Jesca Hoop is ready for war. Video

With three piano chords, a dirgey pace and a melody which barely moves, 'Horizon' was an unlikely hit with audiences. Video