Making Tracks with The MOST FM: Artist Interviews

RIIKI REID returns with new single ‘Pāinaina’, out now.

Written entirely in Te Reo Māori, for Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori, Māori Language Week.

Drawing from dance music spanning the 70’s, 90’s through to the 00’s, RIIKI and collaborators Pere Wihongi and Devin Abrams began researching the history of Māori-language dance and disco music, discovering Dalvanius Prime’s ‘Voodoo Lady’ - which is sampled in the song.

The result is a colourful, bright and ambitious new era of RIIKI REID, this time putting Te Reo Māori right at home on the dancefloor.

Orangefarm is juiced to be back with a fresh crop of songs on the forthcoming new album Motoring for Beginners. Due for release on October 2, the sophomore effort by the Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington indie band follows and builds upon the group’s widely acclaimed 2023 debut Inheritance.

The band follows their wistful first single Affectionate Friction with the upbeat and cheeky, ‘Your Sister’s Friends.’ With its catchy hooks and blistering guitar lead, this song asks more questions than it answers. Who are these friends? Whose sisters are they? Or you may just be tapping your foot and not asking any questions at all. Either way, this song is a banger.

Orangefarm has been a fixture on the Wellington music scene for 20 years as a vehicle for Mitchell’s songs which have tapped the spirit of alternative South Island outfits of the 1980s – Mitchell originally hails from Christchurch and started his band career there – as well as British and Australian post-punk and indie touchstones.

Tāmaki Makaurau alt-soul artist Tiger Lotiss is back with another sultry cinematic number ‘Python’.

Auckland Artist Tiger Lotiss gave us ‘Chameleon‘ back in February, and ‘Tiger in the Garden‘ in August, now get ready to smoulder with his new track ‘Python.’

Sultry and slow-burning ‘Python’ is a soulful, hip-hop infused track about navigating his late-teen years in a world of promiscuity and empty desire. In collaboration with Hip Hop Artist AKIYA – Python is escapism, nostalgia, and melancholy, deliciously signed, sealed and delivered.

Produced by Tiger Lotiss and engineered by Sebastian Judd (Chequered Patterns), Python represents the next chapter from his young adult love life. In a world where technology gives us access to meeting anyone and everyone, trust and commitment was and still is hard to find.

Born in Ukraine and seeking refuge in New Zealand post Chernobyl, VÏKÆ is no stranger to adversity. Her music openly talks about her struggles with bipolar, addiction and poor judgement. Honest and raw VÏKÆ describes her artistry as being “brassy to purposefully make the psyche uncomfortable”. In an attempt to steer clear of coming across disingenuous, her unique "DIY" approach to making music, costuming and directing and editing her own music videos allows her to have complete autonomy of the authenticity of her artistry and music.

Following their comeback single In the Clouds, eight piece Wellington hip-hop and funk outfit, Raw Collective, are back with another solid tune, Tables Turned, the second single from their upcoming fourth album. 

Tables Turned evokes dreams of summer to come and features the vocals of multi-platinum reggae artist  Iharaira Starr (formally Israel Starr), a two-time recipient of Best Reggae Album at the Waiata Māori Music Awards and recipient of Best Roots Artist award at the Aotearoa Music Awards. 

'Make It Simple', the second single from Kirikiriroa songwriter Nicholas Joseph’s debut album Sailing is out August 20th via Sonorous Circle.

The sweetest and most pop-leaning of the album's eight tracks, 'Make It Simple' considers both the charm and weight of regional Aotearoa's vast landscape - the freedom of it, and the isolation. Musically, it veers into classic 90s guitar pop with a hushed vocal delivery.

"In this lonely country I'm just a riddle, a pheasant in the yard, but aren't we all now?," Joseph sings, capturing the strange, solitary beauty at the record's core.

Singer-songwriter Ben Chavasse is set to release his second 2026 single this August, with a lush track titled ‘Teething’.

On ‘Teething’, Chavasse sings confessions and yearnings of a wannabe lover boy, experiencing repeated crushings from distant, fantastical crushes. However, there are hints this hopeless romantic is courting his own heartaches.

“It’s about these fantasies of how we might relate to each and get along so well… I think those are naive ideas.”

“It’s about learning to push past feelings of inadequacy that result from a narrow view of intimacy. There’s this desire to become more grounded and go out into the world and meet people where they are.”

Ōtautahi indie-rock favourites Pool House have officially arrived with the release of their highly anticipated debut album, Foreign Films - a defining moment for one of New Zealand's most-promising independent bands.

After steadily building a loyal following across Aotearoa and Australia through single releases and sold-out shows the Christchurch four-piece have delivered their debut album, and most ambitious work yet.

Foreign Films captures the energy, emotion, and deep, intentional songwriting that has carried Pool House from university venues to festival stages and cemented them one of the country's most exciting rising acts.

Beth Torrance writes thoughtful, disarming songs about connection to people and place, pairing sharp lyricism with melodic indie songwriting. Her music has drawn comparisons to artists like The Smiths, Elliott Smith and Adrianne Lenker, while her latest work pushes further into guitar-driven indie rock.

Beth's new single, Suzy May (released on June 5 through Particle Recordings), is the first taste of her forthcoming EP, Your Favourite, due for release in late July 2026. A four-song collection shaped by the energy of a full band, Your Favourite draws on artists like PJ Harvey, Joy Division, Hole, Pixies, Patti Smith and The Pretenders, alongside contemporary indie acts such as Girl in Red and Le Tigre.

Paradiso Parade usher in the arrival of their lower-power indie rock single ‘c’mon automaton’.

Dynamic indie rock trio paradiso PDE has officially announced the upcoming release of their anticipated new single, “c’mon automaton.”

Serving as a gritty, high-energy transmission from the modern landscape, “c’mon automaton” explores the blurred lines and quiet surrenders of the digital epoch. The track blends the band’s signature driving rhythms with fragmented, barrelled lyricism, delivering a low frequency tour de force wrapped in infectious indie rock hooks.