The Sampler’s favorite New Zealand albums of 2024

From Pacific dub to gnarly guitars, here are 10 of Aotearoa’s best musical offerings of the year.

Dubbing of the neighborhood by Chistoph El Truento

Christoph El’ Truento’s second LP diving into reggae, rocksteady and dub styles (after 2019’s Peacemaker dubbing), is a joyful family affair, including the voices of his children and his partner, and drawing on Christoph’s extensive knowledge of the history of the genre to honor it in his own typically peaceful way.

The album feels a lot like summer, although when I interviewed him, Christoph said he also wanted there to be an underlying sadness. He talked about running his sounds through vintage gear and wanting to bring back some weirdness to reggae. This resulted in listening on several levels, with many recommendations for rehearsals.

Siempre Tiene Flores by Hannah Everingham

Between the bodiesChristchurch musician Hannah Everingham’s debut album, has blown into 2022 like a breath of fresh air, and her second is even better. It’s heavy on acoustic guitar, double bass, hand-slapped percussion, and Latin American influences.

The relaxed musical palette is a perfect fit for Everingham, who remains a gentle and charming presence.

Greatsouth by Greatsouth

The artist formerly known as Fable changed his stage name and moved from futuristic RnB to guitar jams on his latest album. One thing that remained consistent was depicting his home of South Auckland, and when I interviewed Payton Taplin he told me that Great South Road was “the thoroughfare for people heading south” .

It was also a supply route during the Waikato Wars, which Taplin finds bittersweet. The history and present of the Maori in this country are always present in his songs, which here balance anguish with effervescent joy.

Filter by Byllie-jean

In 2023, Byllie-jean won the Maioha Prize (with Aja Ropata for their waiata ‘Te Iho’). She followed it up with her debut EP, which is full of inventiveness and hard-earned wisdom.

“Desperate Fools” is a soul ballad underpinned by pithy lyrics like “it’s past the witching hour, but it still feels like there are witches around”, with the line more acidic on the modern RnB track “Running Amuck”: “Someone stole our land, and everyone knows who did it.”

Still There Season 2 of Hanisi Garue

The New Zealand documentary series Always there told stories about Pasifika people living in central Auckland, with season two featuring episodes about the Richmond Rovers rugby club, the Samoa House on Karangahape Road and the last kava club in Gray Lynn.

The duo behind its score is called Hanisi Garue, which means “loving care and work” in Rotuman.

David Feauai-Afaese leads the band LEAO and Navakatoa Tekela-Pule co-founded Noa Records, a label for indigenous musicians. Their work is often heartwarming and nostalgic, sometimes unsettling and always deeply rewarding.

Gray Eyes, Gray Lynn by Jim Nothing

“Pastoral” and “introspective” aren’t words you’d normally associate with the early work of Jim Nothing, whose debut EP consisted of very loud noises.

Ten years later, he works in a much more contemplative mode, drawing on many soft indie pop influences. But on his second album, he still added an aural touch to his balanced arrangements.

This is a cohesive and diaristic collection, like walking through Tāmaki as the artist weaves stories and philosophizes.

Louisa Nicklin’s big sulk

This album’s name may be a nod to his serious attitude, but for fans of gnarly guitar and soulful, slightly spooky vocals, this is something special.

Production was handled by local legend Shayne Carter of Straightjacket Fits, and you can see why he might have been attracted to the project. Nicklin’s compositions are moody and his deeply felt singing soars above them.

The dreams of our mothers’ mothers! by Mousey

Mousey’s later albums had a touch of darkness, but on the third, it had pushed the light to the margins. However, Sarena Close’s songwriting impulses always kept things accessible, and she showed off a new rhythmic heft on tracks like “Opener.”

The release had a real feeling of abandonment, the sound of an artist doing what he wanted, instead of what he felt he should.

Waerea by Mokotron

Tiopira McDowell (Ngāti Hine) has been part of the Tamaki electronic scene for some time and has achieved a fully realized meeting of worlds with her project Mokotron. Its mix of taonga pūoro, breakbeats, bass slices and vocoded te reo feels excitingly new, Pacific futurism launched onto the dance floor and beyond.

Tessa’s album by Tessa De Lyon

Wellington band Mystery Waitress released their second album in August, Bright dark nightan intense and passionate collection of angular indie rock. It was a pleasant surprise when the band’s vocalist and creative force, Tessa Dillon, also released a solo effort, under the piano-based name Tessa de Lyon.

Even more surprising was the music, which at times seemed to be the inverse of his band; light, free and full of hope. There is some darkness, but it is presented with a light touch and a seemingly endless supply of comforting melodies.

Tony Stamp reviews the latest album releases every week on The Sampler.