Nancy Howie is a Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland-based songwriter, singer, multi-instrumentalist, band member, and piano tuner. She also invents and makes her own instruments. She has released a solo album as Fathom (The World to Breath, 2022), and three albums with her folk trio Tweed. On YouTube she regularly posts clips in which she exuberantly analyses pop music, in particular the work of The Beatles, from every musical angle.
In some ways, I see myself as an underqualified Kiwi. I was born here, but my family moved overseas when I was six and returned when I was in my early teens. This meant that I missed a lot of the quintessential gems of New Zealand music. This is not necessarily a bad thing, as it also saved me from the ubiquity that would make it impossible to hear ‘Bliss’ with fresh ears. A blessing or a curse, depending on your perspective.
Given this, I was worried that I might be ineligible to put together my list of 10 songs. Fortunately, I’ve played in bands in Tāmaki Makaurau for the last 20 years. I may have missed the behemoths, but I haven’t been sleeping on the smaller acts. Allow me to state my bias here: many of the artists featured on this list I have met by playing locally, and as such, many have become friends. However, I believe their talent speaks for itself, as I was always drawn to them as musicians first. May you find something you love among them.
1. Overthinking – Isla
I met Isla in a cave. No, really. A mutual friend was hosting a little open mic in a cave. My band was playing, and so was Isla. The cave didn’t pan out in the long run (geological hazards, and so forth), but Isla went on to release a very strong debut EP. Several years down the line, she asked me to join her band, The Kindred, as a bassist, to tour her follow-up record, Low.
I have chosen ‘Overthinking’ from that EP because, despite playing the song innumerable times with the band, it still takes my breath away every time I hear it. Morgan Allen’s production efforts are on full display, and the song positively shimmers. Isla’s vocals take on a new maturity, and are deeply evocative. The chorus blossoms forth, lush, and envelops you as a listener, before the song drifts lethargically to its close. A stunning effort.
2. Misfit – Waves
My band Tweed released our first album in 2017, and a reviewer for Metro magazine likened us to Waves, a long-defunct band from Aotearoa. I did a little digging and found that the band had released an album in the mid-1970s before breaking up. With some effort I was able to track down their debut: an album that sounded to me like the band America in their early years. I liked it very much. I struggled to find their follow-up. Fortunately, Auckland Libraries had purchased a more recent 2013 CD release, which included both albums.
While the first album had been a pleasure to listen to, the second demonstrated a significant evolution. The band sounded tighter, and they were exploring far more complex concepts than they had been just a year earlier. Any of the tracks on the album could have made this list, but I have chosen the album opener, ‘Misfit’, because its beginning suggests that the album will be a lot like its predecessor, before a slick plot twist that reveals a new, more sophisticated Waves. I hear echoes of Steely Dan and the Doobie Brothers in their sophomore effort.
3. Settle Down – Kimbra
When I check out new music, I am immediately attracted to anything that takes me by surprise. A friend recommended this song from Kimbra to me upon its release in the early 2010s, and I was gripped on the first listen. The verse has a quirky quality that I love, especially when the eccentric instrumentation heralds the beginning of verse two. However, it is the chorus that won me over.
The plonking piano recalls early doo-wop, but the densely layered vocals add a wall-of-sound element that the verses lack. And let us not forget the cascading melody that is the song’s centrepiece. All these years later, it’s just as impactful to me as it was the first time it hit my eardrums.
4. Safezone – Rewind Fields
During the 2020 lockdown, Isla and her partner began a virtual event called “Tag Your Folks” in celebration of New Zealand Music Month, in which one local artist covers another, who is “tagged” and will in turn, cover another, and so on. I was assigned Rewind Fields for Tag Your Folks 2022.
There are many delights to behold in the music of Rewind Fields, two of which I’d like to highlight. The first is that Callum Lee, the mastermind behind the moniker, has an indisputable knack for fusing the modern with the nostalgic. The second is that they are adept at producing a whimsical technicolour world in their music, so fully realised as to be almost visible. Their airy vocals float gently over this sonic landscape. ‘Safezone’ is a perfect exemplar for both these elements.
5. Reverie In Chains – Jesse Sheehan
Jesse Sheehan had raw talent in spades from a young age, which won him Play It Strange as a college student. We met after he saw my band Tweed play our second-ever gig over a decade ago, and for a few years after, he and I would get together to share new songs and offer critiques. When he brought this song to one of these little salons, I was floored. I don’t exaggerate when I say this interaction inspired me to fundamentally shift my own approach to songwriting.
‘Reverie In Chains’ is an eerie, dreamy journey for most of its duration. Unusual chord choices abound (a sure way to my heart), and just as you feel settled in the direction of the song, it pivots hard into something entirely new. The orchestration is exquisite, in particular the brass work. Jesse expertly weaves in motifs from earlier moments in the song at the coda. The entirety of the album Drinking With The Birds is strong, but this song is, in my eyes, a standout.
6. Pills – Bridges
Isla is once again a common denominator on this list. I was introduced to the music of Bridges at the release gig for Isla’s Low EP: Bridges played after us. There’s a special kind of high that musicians experience (at least, this one does) in listening to the acts that follow you at a gig – the pressure is off, and the residual adrenaline can be dedicated to the enjoyment of the next band. While this state undoubtedly coloured my experience of catching Bridges live, my positive impression of ‘Pills’ endured.
Lyrics for me are typically secondary to music, but I find the words in this song particularly powerful. They counter the idea that psychiatric medication can dull one’s mind, arguing “I think the pills changed me/I think they might have saved me.” Paradoxically, the song is upbeat, and it sparkles delightfully. It shouldn’t work, but it does.
7. Two Hats – Paul The Kid
‘Two Hats’ is perhaps the least likely candidate to make this list. However, after being thoroughly charmed by a live performance, I now find the song irresistibly infectious. In parts jazzy and atonal, this is a track that I can’t help but find myself bopping to. Delivered in Paul The Kid’s trademark bratty style, it’s irreverent and absurd. And really, what would this list be without a song featuring the line “yeah nah, just forget it”?
8. Oh Not Again – Balu Brigada
Years ago, I attended the year-end concert for Auckland University’s pop music students. My day job was (still is) tuning pianos, and I had just finished work on the school’s concert piano in advance of the event. Balu Brigada (then Baloo) performed a couple of songs as part of the evening’s showcase, and I was utterly spellbound. There was an indescribable charisma that the band exuded, that can’t-look-away quality that only some of us are lucky to be born with.
It has been a joy to watch their career progress since then (2014). I’m pleased to report that they appear to be taking off, having just completed an international tour supporting Twenty One Pilots.
‘Oh Not Again’ may be my favourite song on this list. The first time I listened to it was followed by four or five more consecutive listens. It has everything I like about their music, namely that they’re able to deliver hooky, accessible pop while sneaking in a little complex harmony for those in it for the upper extensions. Their attention to detail is impeccable as always, and this track features ghostly backing vocals, delicious synth textures, and subtle riffs to complement what is one of the best chorus melodies I’ve heard in modern music.
9. That Life – Unknown Mortal Orchestra
Did I say that number eight was my favourite on the list? Now I’m not so sure, as this ninth entry provides stiff competition.
There is an ineffable characteristic of Unknown Mortal Orchestra’s sound that draws me to it. I’m not sure whether it’s the hi-fi-lo-fi treatment, their fantastic chord choices, or their expert melody writing. Generally, my only complaint in their music is that it can sometimes feel like the second half of a song is a facsimile of the first, but I have no notes for ‘That Life’. As a lover of music, I can appreciate most songs, enjoy many songs, and adore a few. This track, like the previous on this list, is one of a hallowed group of songs that makes me feel like my heart might burst from my chest. Very few songs will make me roll down the windows and crank the volume faster than this one. That riff alone …
10. Wandering Eye – Fat Freddy’s Drop
This final entry, from Fat Freddy’s Drop, is perhaps the best-known on the list, but I somehow missed it upon its release. Fortunately, I caught up a few years later. This song is murky, moody, and a necessary addition to anyone’s summer playlist. Highlights of the song include the flitting flute in the first verse, and that beautifully thick horn section. However, I’m a sucker for a coda, and this song features one hell of a surprise outro. I will always have a little boogie if this song is playing.
There you have it! Aotearoa is packed to the gills with musical talent, and it has been a pleasure to discover as much. I may have been late to the game, but I have done my best to make up for lost time.
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