Reb Fountain

★★★★ IRIS FLYING NUN. CD/DL/LP

After Aldous Harding and Nadia Reid, here is NZ’s next alt-folk sensation.

Self-harm, rehab, raising two kids alone: Reb Fountain has had much to process. In Greek mythology, Iris is a messenger to the Gods, and the album bearing her name is Fountain’s means by which to share hard truths while sounding anything but downbeat. Emerging from the same South Island alt-folk scene as Aldous Harding, Fountain can match her compadre for shivery, sparse moods (Foxbright) but

IRIS’s span is much broader. Invisible Man’s chorus could be NZ’s reigning pop star Lorde; the title track infuses AOR soul with sultry R&B; Fisherman’s Gaelic overtones combine silken with stormy. Fountain’s restless energy extends to her targets: Beastie despairs at humanity’s toxic tendencies, while Heart is an anthem for unrequited lovers and the title track is for every tortured soul: “What do you do with the mad that you feel?/We dare to be ourselves.”