Sunreturn

07/08/2026

Tāmaki garage punks are touring nationwide this spring.

29/07/2026

Tāmaki Makaurau electronic artist's forthcoming new album Rain is out this September.

29/07/2026

NZ APRA Members - gotta get those votes in asap.

https://www.apraamcos.co.nz/about-us/news-and-events/silver-scroll-top-20-maioha-top-11-2026

📣 NOMINEE SPOTLIGHT - Samara Alofa x MOKOTRON x PollyHill are nominated for the Silver Scroll | Kaitito Kaiaka for their waiata, 'HOME (MOKOTRON REMIX)', written by Samara Autagavaia, Paloma Schneideman*, and Tiopira McDowell (*Heard and Seen Publishing).

🎶 LISTEN - to all nominated songs, including 'HOME (MOKOTRON REMIX)', via the playlist link in comments.

🗳️ VOTE - Aotearoa APRA members can vote for their favourite waiata until 29 July via the link in comments.

✨ THANKS - MITA Creative + Auckland Live.

27/07/2026

Following the moody, immersive atmosphere of Rain, deepState returns with Games, a new single that pays tribute to the pioneering electronic artists who have soundtracked the dance floors at festivals, clubs & warehouses.

🎥 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d98QNmz8_1M
🔈 https://music.drm.co.nz/games
🔗 https://deepstate-music.bandcamp.com/

Drawing inspiration from the timeless energy of classic house and edm Games helps listeners transcend the dancefloor with swooshing synths, iced strings, octave jumping vocal samples balanced on to a classic four to the floor house beat.

“I feel Games really encapsulates my love of house and electronic dance music.” asserts Jess. “The song's lyrics allude to the often repetitive nature of day to day life and the ways we seek out excitement or difference in on and offline social interactions. I wanted the Games to be uplifting, make you feel good and want to dance, aligning back to the original intent of house & dance music.”

"For me, the song's sound has a carefree feeling that juxtaposes the lyrics and I hope people can enjoy that aspect of it.”

For Games deepstate teamed up with acclaimed animator Simon Ward to provide visuals depicting what goes on behind the door of your local dive bar. Throughout the clip figures joyously ascend into celestial bodies of movement, encapsulating the communal power of electronic music.

“I was so excited to have Simon make this video as I have been a fan of his work for a long time, going back to my art school days so to say I was stoked would be an understatement! He brought the song to life with all the movement and colour, he’s managed to manifest the song’s intent visually in such a beautiful way.”

🙏 Games was made with support from NZ On Air Music
📷 Frances Carter Photography
🔈 Downbeat Mastering

24/07/2026

Playing a whānau-friendly lunchtime show with Thee Golden Geese at Freemans Bay Community Centre.

24/07/2026

It’s safe to say that No Doggy! have the knack to produce songs that are full of beans, have a pep in their step and joyously jangle. Throughout the nine songs on their debut album Picnic Lunch, No Doggy! craft wild and wonderful tales of dancing with doggies at the disco, making friends with animals, running races against raisins, exploring nature or imagining what construction vehicles do once their operators knock off for the day.

“With 2 songwriters and constant inspiration from our little ones, No Doggy! have a lot of songs,” reflects Stephen. “We initially invited James Dansey to record a single or two but ended up with a dozen. Hence the ‘Picnic Lunch.’ It’s like a sample of ideas and flavours, hopefully something for everyone.”

“I think kids like to be challenged. They love using their imaginations but also need to see themselves and their lives in the material/music. A good No Doggy! song is like a story book. It has some kind of narrative, is funny, absurd and/or heartwarming. It makes a kid want to pick up an instrument and play along, sing, dance or just feel a little seen.”

Picnic Lunch were recorded live, mixed and mastered at Ukaipō Studios by James Dansey (Āku Hapa, Chabs & Milky). “James is a magician! I have no idea what he did but he made everything sound amazing,” laughs Anya. “He really wanted to let the music do its thing with minimal interference which is an amazing skill for a producer/engineer. James helped us a lot with our Te Reo pronunciation on songs like Rā Whānau. This has given me confidence singing in Te Reo - now I do waiata every day in my job as a teacher.”

Reflecting on the album’s release Stephen says “We are very excited for our album release. It will be an epic celebration of all we have achieved in such a short time and hopefully a big thank you to our families for all of their support (and babysitting while we practiced).”

To celebrate the band will throw their own indoor al fresco affair with an album lunch launch at the Freemans Bay Community Centre on August 8 with their best friends Thee Golden Geese! Tickets are available now from Undertheradar.co.nz

16/07/2026

CINDY announced that their long awaited debut album ‘The Way I Do’ will be released on September 4th digitally and on vinyl LP in collaboration between 1:12 Records and Sunreturn.

To celebrate they’ve shared the new single Sunsets Don’t Excite Me, a classic garage rock anthem inspired by an impromptu trip to New Zealand’s Premier Freshwater Centre 🐟

Situated 4 kilometres south of Tūrangi on State Highway 1, the Tongariro National Trout Centre was the unlikely inspiration for Cindy’s new single. Fast, fun, and with a huge sing along chorus, Sunsets Don’t Excite Me will have you hooked from the first spin.

“The idea for Sunsets Don’t Excite Me came when Cindy were stuck around Tongariro National Park waiting to see if our show was going to happen despite the terrible weather,” recalls Scott Brown. “A huge storm was rolling in and we were passing by the National Trout Centre so we stopped in for a look. It was incredible and really inspiring. I have a lot of respect for the good folks who run the museum there.”

After exploring the National Trout Centre’s museum, native freshwater aquarium, nature walk, and underwater viewing chamber Brown was feeding wild trout and came to the following conclusion: “Swimming upstream is hard to do, maybe like trying to be a musician while working a 50 hour work week. Feels a bit like pi***ng in the wind or ‘swimming upstream’”.

Sunsets Don’t Excite Me was recorded direct to tape by Darren McShane at Earwig Studios (with drums performed by Jordan Lim) before being mixed & mastered by Steven Marr.

📷 India Wray Murane
🎨 Roy Irwin

08/07/2026

Incredibley proud of Samara Alofa, Mokotron & PollyHill for being longlisted for the APRA AMCOS NZ Silver Scroll!

If you're an NZ APRA member, go out and vote!