01 June 2023 - 0 Comments

Te-Whanganui-a-Tara-based artist and producer Mo Etc. has today released her incredible alt-soul four-track EP Buoys, which includes powerful new single Deep Down.

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Recently featured in a Rolling Stone article about Kiwi artists tipped to take over, Buoys is yet another stunning example of why this is. Described by Mo Etc. (Moana Ete - Ngāti Hāmoa, Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Whātua and Ngāti Wheke) as a ‘height growth marker’ on her creative doorframe.

Following on from her single Underwater and album Oceanbed, this EP takes listeners on a moving journey with its many layers - including lo-fi guitar, trap beats, and both gritty and ethereal vocals. “As the title suggests, Buoys is about keeping knots tight and staying afloat,” says Mo Etc. “It includes haunting songs of woe like that in [new single] Deep Down and stays tied to the water's surface with ballad Romantic and sends ripples with vibey lo-fi beats in Before the Light Breaks.”

Recorded at Parachute Studios in Tāmaki Makaurau through the APRA AMCOS NZ Studio 11 Residency in 2022, Moana then mixed it on-the-go and at home in Newtown, Wellington. The EP was then masterfully mastered by Wellington producer, DJ and audio engineer Benny Tones (Electric Wire Hustle, Pacific Heights, Solaa, Julien Dyne, Iva Lamkum, Harbour City Electric, Module).

Accompanying the release is a drama short film for Deep Down. Made with the support of NZ on Air, Moana has once again taken the reins and written/directed and acted in the video - working alongside her production company Ohokomo and Kororātahi Creative. It also features well-known Aotearoa actor Maaka Pohatu (Wellington Paranormal) and newcomer Te Ani Solomon - a recent graduate of Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama School - who Moana met when directing the third years' graduation show.

“It was shot at Drive-Thru Art Gallery and is about the end of a relationship/partnership,” explains Moana. “The characters in the video live in the art world which is symbolic of the music artist life. The man is packing down one exhibition to allow another in. As someone who avoids pain and suffering and confrontation as much as possible, there are situations that I just need to face up to. It's about understanding the situation and being willing to be the villain in the narrative. What I’m singing about is never pretty, it’s raw and painful but it’s the truth of who I am and how I showed up that day. I think it’s about continuing to put myself forward as an authentic storyteller.”

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