26 May 2023 - 0 Comments

Today (Friday 26th of May), conscious roots rockers Lost Tribe Aotearoa (Tūwharetoa) release their new EP Lost & Found.

Lost & Found  is a five track EP featuring hit singles Reflections, Lost Generation 2.0, Legacy and Shaka. To support the release today Lost Tribe Aotearoa (LTA) drop their new lead single and music video Strange Things.

Watch Strange Things  here.

The Strange Things music video was filmed at Te Awamutu Boxing Academy and features live performance footage from the Yot Club Raglan live show and the shed LTA practice in. It stars Yassin Yass as a boxer who works at a local boxing gym at reception but dreams of becoming a pro kickboxer. His inspiration is to be strong enough to stand up to his childhood bullies. He trains hard at the gym after closing and keeps recalling his childhood trauma. He goes hard and never gives up. Yassin shares “The challenge of every training to every fight is something unexplainable… I will forever be a student of fighting, I will forever learn something new every training every fight, I am not where I want to be but I am most definitely on the right track and no matter the hurdles I will keep on keeping on until I reach the top and then I will be happy.”

Te Marama Puoro o Aotearoa / NZ Music Month is an auspicious date for Lost Tribe Aotearoa who released their debut album LTA in NZ Music Month 2020. “We wanted to release our new EP Lost & Found in Te Marama Puoro o Aotearoa / NZ Music Month because it is a special time to acknowledge all the awesome music in Aotearoa - it's a beautiful thing. We are honoured to be part of this community, Aotearoa music is up there with the best.”

Lost Tribe Aotearoa band ethos and EP lyrics echo the NZ Music Month themes of community + collaboration. Whanaungatanga (connection) is a theme that is at the heart of everything Lost Tribe Aotearoa do. They explain “Music is life, music is love, for us it's all about whanaungatanga, harmony and kotahitanga (unity). The title of the EP Lost & Found speaks to the themes of connection, community and collaboration. “We can all relate to the idea of feeling Lost & Found. Before Lost Tribe Aotearoa started, we drifted in life” shares Tux Severne. “We weren’t sure what path we were going to take, being connected in the band and coming together to form this rōpū has given me direction in life and a strong sense of community. For me, and for a lot of the band members you can see it when we come together - you are back with your family, you are back with your tribe. It’s that togetherness that evokes within us feeling lost and finally being found. We are all finding our way, but feeling found is about connection and community - connecting to ourselves, connecting to each other and connecting to others through our music. Join the tribe!”

Lost Tribe Aotearoa (LTA) are a family-based band who share conscious messages through their lyrics. Their sound is an eclectic mix of roots, dub, rock, ska and blues and they are well known for their high energy live shows and the contagious uplifting vibes their music evokes.

Shaka released in April 2022, speaks of sending messages of positivity and connections to the bands Pacific roots and love of surfing. Lost Generation 2.0 released in July 2022 is about learning from mistakes and making good decisions to create a legacy for the next generation “This song sends the messages to our rangatahi to find your own path and be unapologetic yet kind.” Reflections released December 2022 speaks to the theme of hope, “It is a message to ourselves. Telling us to listen to our conscience and follow our gut.”

“This body of the work represents the diversity that LTA hold, we have bought in the Raglan horn conglomerate, who are stunning horn players and it really compliments the whole outfit” shares Ben Aves. “On Lost & Found we have explored a whole plethora of genres, including rock, reggae, roots and even bought in some pop here and there. We are finding ourselves and that is exciting stuff!”

Lost Tribe Aotearoa’s talent was spotted in June 2018 when they won Mai FM's Big Break competition with debut single Irie which reached a high of #7 in the NZ Charts. They went on to release their debut EP Stick Together in May 2019, and the band quickly established a loyal fan base Stick Together surpassed 2 million streams on Spotify. In 2019, Lost Tribe Aotearoa were nominated for best roots artist next to L.A.B and Troy Kingi at the Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards (VNZMA’s). They went on to release their debut self-titled album LTA in May 2020, which achieved around 3 million streams on Spotify and their music videos reached beyond 4 million streams on YouTube. Wickedman, Irie and Reflections also achieved commercial success with mainstream radio plays on stations such as Hauraki and Mai Fm. Their high energy live shows and infectious good vibes earned regular spots on the conscious festival circuit including Spirit Festival, Revive and Earthbeat festival, as well as regular spots at Soundsplash and for the first time this year a spot on Homegrowns iconic mainstage.

Lost Tribe Aotearoa new EP Lost & Found is out now.

Photo Credit: Reef Reid / RADAR Photography

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