SOJØURN - EP Review: Summer Tape
Hailing from the beautiful, sun-drenched, surf-town of Mangawhai, seven-piece “psychedelic surf rock reggae band” Sojøurn have just released their latest Summer Tape EP. Consisting of two tracks Still a Mess and Take a Drive, the Summer Tape EP aims to capture the sounds, feeling, and overall vibe of an Aotearoa summer.
Opening with a clean melodic guitar riff reminiscent of Michael Franti’s Spearhead, subtly accompanied by a sample of a needle on a dusty old record, Still a Mess is a mid-to-slow-tempo slice of funky, reggae-rock. This vibe of casual, dreamy, mellow, blissed out, but still groovy is retained throughout, with the effortlessly cool vocals of both vocalist/guitarist Isaac Hunter and Annaree Peters adding to the overall vibe. Still a Mess evokes mental images of a lazy, recovery-day Sunday afternoon in the sun with good friends, helped in large part by the sparingly utilized keyboards (Elias Giles) and saxophone (Jacob O’Brien). It is great to hear these instruments, that so often dominate a track, work as new layers without overpowering the sound. As the track progresses, the band do incredibly well at adding enough dynamics and melodic change into the track to keep the listener interested without losing the overall feeling they are going for.
Track 2, Take a Drive, introduces some more jazz influences into the overall sound, but retains the overall reggae-rock sound. Taking a slightly more bass-heavy approach, courtesy of bassist Tony Baker, and drummer (Jim Bokma), Take a Drive is a faster, more energetic track that retains that signature NZ reggae-rock of Sojøurn. Anyone keeping score would have noticed that I haven’t mentioned Isaac on rhythm guitar; he locks in tight with the rest of the rhythm section throughout both of these tracks, laying a strong, powerful, elegant, and tasteful guitar that perfectly ‘stays in its lane’.
Overall, this is a great EP for those of you who dig reggae-rock. It is a fantastic example of the strong reggae/ska vibe that NZ is known for, and will keep you hitting repeat on the EP, or digging out some of their earlier singles.
They’re out on tour promoting this EP now. Definitely well worth checking out, especially to top off a great Kiwi summer’s day on the beach.
About SOJØURN
The highly regarded Summer Tape EP landed them in some hot hands, pricking up the ears of curators and fans alike. Still A Mess continues to be the bands #1 streaming success. The band then released Stand Up (2020) - a more dubby, fast paced number acknowledging the bands east coast roots. Stand Up was followed in quick succession by singles Saturday Sipping and How It Grows.
After a massive summer touring across NZ's North Island, including performances at Bay Dreams and shows with the likes of Mako Road, the band headed back to Mangawhai HQ (2021) and recorded the highly anticipated Mystic Ways EP. Mystic Ways marks a giant leap forward for the emerging group who have fast become an essential band on the NZ scene.
Visit the muzic.net.nz Profile for SOJØURN
Releases
Other Reviews By JamieDenton
EP Review: SD-2100 vs The World
05 Sep 2023 // by JamieDenton
Hailing from Kirikiriroa (Hamilton), the multi-talented artist Sam Densem has showcased his versatility across a spectrum of musical genres and styles. Sam's approach to his craft involves crafting distinct packages of music, each with its own unique flavour and character.
Read More...
Lester - EP Review: Lost and Found
28 Aug 2023 // by JamieDenton
Tamaki Makaurau / Auckland-based MC Lester (ex-Round Buddha) is not a new name within Aotearoa New Zealand’s independent music scene. Indeed, Lester has carved a distinct presence for himself since his early releases in 2017.
Read More...
Sonic Space Lab - Album Review: Cycles
20 Jul 2022 // by JamieDenton
Sonic Space Lab is the musical pseudonym of Dunedin-based, Venezuelan composer and sound engineer Luis Rodriguez, who some may know from his guitar work in Dunedin’s Tomahawk Radio. Having spent more than 20 years writing music for television, film, and advertising and collaborating with countless musicians in both musician and producer roles, Luiz Rodriguez turned his hand to Sonic Space Lab (also the name of his studio) in the mid-late 2010’s.
Read More...
Arrays - Single Review: Glass Traps
06 Jun 2022 // by JamieDenton
Auckland-based rock/metal act Arrays is the brainchild and ‘creative sandbox’ of musician/producer JP Carroll (ex-Armed in Advance, and currently also with Swerve City). Having known JP for a number of years, and having followed his career through Stitches, which became Armed in Advance, and then into Arrays and later Swerve City, he has consistently remained a strong creative force, a passionate and prolific producer and performer of music, and possibly kiwi-music’s most genuine, nicest, and most down to earth personalities (albeit one that is loaded with a plethora of terrible puns that he will unleash at any and all opportune moments).
Read More...
Speech Act Theory - Single/Video Review: Old Versus New
25 Feb 2022 // by JamieDenton
Initially conceived of as purely a studio project to fuse electronica with live drums and other instruments, Auckland-based alternative/electronica Speech Act Theory is the brainchild of producer/musician Pete Hickman alongside drummer Ben Bradford. With the project kicking off in the latter end of 2019 — which is probably not the greatest timing, with all the upcoming turmoil and disruption to live music etc.
Read More...
Steven Hue - EP Review: Assembly
15 Feb 2022 // by JamieDenton
At the start of December, I had the opportunity to review the double single Brainstare / Manatorquim by Tasmanian-based ex-pat Kiwi, Steven Hue. At that time, I noted that another three songs would be following shortly, and that, based on the strength of these original two, I was eagerly anticipating what this next batch would have in store.
Read More...
Floor Five - EP Review: The Garden
28 Jan 2022 // by JamieDenton
Indie-pop/rock band Floor Five are relative new-comers on the Kiwi music scene. Following up a couple of previous singles (2020’s Overthinking and 2021’s Strawberry Wine), the Wellington based four-piece’s partially crowd-funded EP The Garden was released just as the country returned to the red light setting of the Covid protection framework.
Read More...
Steven Hue - Double Single Review: Brainstare / Mantorquim
06 Dec 2021 // by JamieDenton
Ex-pat Kiwi now based in Tasmania, Steven Hue may be familiar to many through his previous work as former vocalist and co-writer for popular experimental band Full Code, his stint studying at the Nelson School of Music, or his commission work which has seen him produce work for art installations, short files, and video games. Turning his hand to solo electronic music, Steven has just released a double single of two new tracks: Brainstare and Manatorquim.
Read More...
Most Viewed Artists
Latest Galleries
NZ Top 10 Singles
- APT.
ROSÉ And Bruno Mars - DIE WITH A SMILE
Lady Gaga And Bruno Mars - BIRDS OF A FEATHER
Billie Eilish - TASTE
Sabrina Carpenter - I LOVE YOU, I'M SORRY
Gracie Abrams - ESPRESSO
Sabrina Carpenter - SAILOR SONG
Gigi Perez - LOSE CONTROL
Teddy Swims - A BAR SONG (TIPSY)
Shaboozey - GOOD LUCK, BABE!
Chappell Roan
More Content on muzic.net.nz
Google Site Search
100% New Zealand Music
All content on this website is copyright to muzic.net.nz and other respective rights holders. Redistribution of any material presented here without permission is prohibited.
Report A Problem
