All hail pop’s new queen
It’s safe to say that Benee stole the show this month, at the best New Zealand Music Awards in recent memory. Winning four awards, including best solo artist, she charmed the nation with a gushing, expletive-laden speech, and performed her hit song, complete with ridiculous karate kicks, all while grinning from ear-to-ear.
Even if the awards were the first time you saw her in all her goofy glory, you’ve probably heard Soaked on the radio.
It’s a gift of a song, one of those earworms that you can make friends with. It’s the same for most of her music, and is especially true on her third EP Stella & Steve.
There’s a saccharine quality to pop music that can make you feel a bit sick if you have too much of it. But Benee tiptoes through these songs with a personal and musical self-awareness that avoids that queasy feeling.
Find an Island is the obvious hook-laden radio song, but even that isn’t too heavy-handed.
Supalonely is meant to be a sad song about a sad thing, but it’s also very funny. Because it’s multidimensional, you don’t need to be going through a teenage breakup to engage with it, even though that’s what it’s about.
She has the songs. And her collaboration with producer Joel Fountain is a match made in heaven. Benee already has overseas representation, and her recent awards will help fuel international fire.
Fat Freddy’s Drop have delivered Special Edition Part 1 in time for their summer tour, coming to a big outdoor venue near you from next month. There are six tracks, including the previously released Trickle Down, the skankiest song about economics since the heyday of ska.
They want to surprise you with every song and they almost always do. Raleigh Twenty will be a fast favourite for many, with its catchy refrain and iconic Wellington imagery, before it delves into danceable chaos.
Singer Dallas Tamaira has never been in finer form. Between his subtle melodic choices and stunning harmonies, it doesn’t matter if he’s singing about muesli and traffic or world peace, you find yourself going along for the ride.
Rounding out a trio of top-shelf local releases is the extraordinary rap duo Church & AP. They’ve only just left school, but these two Auckland emcees are light years ahead of the pack.
Not only are they technically great rappers, with a proper vocabulary, their vocal style and production is particular and unique. Debut album Teeth is essentially a club record. In the car you can’t turn it up loud enough because the beats are built to party.