This year has been a big one for New Zealand’s Albion Place. January saw them embark on their first national tour, playing shows in Queenstown, Wanaka, Wellington, Tauranga, Auckland and Waihi Beach. The release of “Easier” in May and “If This Is How You Feel” in September – the first two singles of debut album Mascuzzi Jacuzzi, which is due for release on December 1 – firmly heralded the foursome from Dunedin as a one of New Zealand’s most dynamic young groups.
Taking their name from the street whereon the four high school friends used to busk after school, Albion Place have become the soundtrack to the Otago student lifestyle, selling out venues across New Zealand, both on their own and in conjunction with Corona on New Zealand’s first Corona Sunset’s tour.
With two EPs under their belt – their 2014 debut release Here We Go featuring the single “I Will Not Forget” which exploded onto the online stratosphere, racking up over 900,000 plays on Spotify, not to mention fans from all over the globe, and 2016’s self-titled EP, which was produced with the aid of Sydney based artist/producer Lyall Moloney – the Dunedin indie rockers are now poised to embark on their first tour of Australia this summer.
With its themes of youth, existentialism and love, Mascuzzi Jacuzzi is a coming-of-age album. Soulful and groovy, combining funky rhythms with psychedelic synth undertones and showcasing the band’s dynamic, reggae-infused, indie rock sound – frosted with a smattering of electronica.
Best described in the bands own words, lead vocalist Micah Davis-Rae says: “It’s the first time we’re coming out with something that’s exactly what we intended it to be. It feels fresh and it’s exciting knowing that this project is the best description of where we’re at as humans.”
Working with the likes of Oli Wilson (The Chills, Knives at Noon), Steven John Marr (Kane Strang, Doprah) and Tom Bell (The Shifting Sands) there is much to be excited about this new album and its fusion of talent and experience.
Joined by an eclectic line-up of support acts, the Mascuzzi Jacuzzi Tour will be a brilliant opportunity to bear witness to the emergence of the new generation of New Zealand’s exciting new up-and-coming musicians, check them this summer and see what’s got New Zealand so excited!
