Let’s address the elephant in the room straight away.

It’s proclaimed on a daily basis that New Zealand has no new “decent” rock music.

These innate mutterings are part of a larger cultural failure, a paradigm where the focus has shifted away from new music in general. Mainstream radio has the same catalog of music from the 90’s on repeat, the record companies milking their investments dry of every cent before they fade into obscurity.

In the age of Spotify and YouTube, It’s not common practice to buy a new album or single.

Music is now free, on demand and served up on a silver platter. From the industry’s standpoint,

There is no money to be made with new music, so why invest in it? Why spend money promoting it and celebrating it?

The digital age has taken its toll on modern music. A trickle-down effect has resulted in the withdrawal of support for new artists, shoestring production budgets, poor concert promotion, attendance and our favorite venues being culled one by one. This coupled with the public perception of music as a “free” commodity could spell the end times as we know it.

I say screw that noise.

Listening to Epilogue by Fallstate reminds me of what we are fighting for.

Here we have a stellar New Zealand artist producing a track that would hold its own on an Epitath records playlist. It’s brimming and bursting with energy, taking me back to the early efforts of bands such as Rise Against.  

After a brief introduction the song comes out swinging, it’s heavy, in your face and builds relentlessly. This is where punk meets metal. The two cross-over effortlessly and the uplifting vocal is married harmoniously to the crushing guitar and technical rhythm section. Despite the heaviness, screaming, and intensity, this song has an overall air of melancholy about it.

In my opinion, this song doesn’t have any particular defining moment. This could be taken the wrong way and garner harsh criticism but I really like it that way. I perceive this track as more of a texture or a wave that builds in intensity before crashing on the beach. It’s easy to fall into the trap of writing the textbook song and having everything neatly in order but this song draws you in and takes you for a ride.  I don’t get the “here’s the verse again” box ticking experience that comes with a lot of rock music.

This track is a solid effort and something to be immensely proud of, it’s a little bit rough in places but it has the tenacity and the grit to demand your attention.

To tie up the loose ends of this longwinded, raving, dissection of a review together – my challenge is to the general public. Before claiming that there is “no good new music”, try to look at it from a different perspective... There is good new music waiting to be discovered. It needs your support to bring it into the foreground of a complicated, obscure picture.

• 1
  Head Like A Hole
• 2
  Horror Story
• 3
  Fraser Ross
• 4
  Fur Patrol
• 5
  Michelle Rounds
• 6
  L.A.B.
• 7
  Devilskin
• 8
  Coridian
• 9
  The Boondocks
• 10
  Late to Chelsea

• 
  LOST BiRD @ Space Academy, Christchurch - 15/12/2024
• 
  Just Janie @ Space Academy, Christchurch - 15/12/2024
• 
  Dream Chambers @ Meow Nui, Wellington - 14/12/2024
• 
  The Phoenix Foundation @ Meow Nui, Wellington - 14/12/2024

• 1
  APT.
  ROSÉ And Bruno Mars
• 2
  DIE WITH A SMILE
  Lady Gaga And Bruno Mars
• 3
  BIRDS OF A FEATHER
  Billie Eilish
• 4
  TASTE
  Sabrina Carpenter
• 5
  I LOVE YOU, I'M SORRY
  Gracie Abrams
• 6
  ESPRESSO
  Sabrina Carpenter
• 7
  SAILOR SONG
  Gigi Perez
• 8
  LOSE CONTROL
  Teddy Swims
• 9
  A BAR SONG (TIPSY)
  Shaboozey
• 10
  GOOD LUCK, BABE!
  Chappell Roan

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