05 September 2024 - 0 Comments

Dateline is the musical project of Katie Everingham (she/her), a musician and songwriter based in Te Whanganui a Tara (Wellington).

Since 2019 her band has been a revolving cast of Aotearoa's brightest talent, with previous incarnations including members of The Beths, Hans Pucket, and Dick Move. Returning in 2024, Everingham is joined by Hikurangi Schaverien-Kaa (Ebony Lamb, French For Rabbits, Glass Vaults), Phoebe Johnson (Ebony Lamb, Revulva), and Reuben McDonald.

Everingham's lyrical prowess and humorous story telling aptly captures the complex emotions and vulnerabilities that come with motherhood and moving into your early thirties. Resonating with deep emotion, Dateline's back catalogue packs a one-two punch of crunched guitars and power pop sensibilities.

2024 has been a remarkable year for the Wellington group, they've released a run of hot singles (Be Good, Hands and Choose Me (the latter being longlisted for the APRA AMCOS Silver Scroll Award)), sold out their hometown shows (that featured guest appearances from Sam Scott and Luke Buda from The Phoenix Foundation) and performed at Welcome To Nowhere, Going Global and Great Sounds Great.

Today Dateline release their long awaited album It's All Downhill From Here, available digitally and on Vinyl LP.

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The songs on It's All Downhill From Here mix 90’s rock sensibilities with the 60's jangle still echoing from the Californian canyons. Tracks slowly build tension, working up to a screams of frustration, and tell stories of desperation over distorted guitars, driving rhythms, and lush four part vocal harmonies.

“There was a bit of an intention to try to make an album that “ROCKED” and was fun to listen to” says Everingham. “Not all of the songs have landed strictly in the rock zone but as we’ve leaned into our influences of classic 90's alternative albums by bands like The Smashing Pumpkins, Hole and Weezer.”

Everingham moved to Wellington in 2023, forming a new band with Hikurangi Schaverien-Kaa (Ebony Lamb, French For Rabbits, Glass Vaults), Phoebe Johnson (Ebony Lamb, Revulva), and Reuben McDonald.

It was common for songs (Be Good, Nothing, Leaves) to begin on acoustic guitar recordings sent to the band as voice memos. “Having Phoebe and Hikurangi join the band (who are both Jazz trained) had a really significant impact on the sound of It's All Downhill From Here, their parts are definitely more intricate than what I would’ve written. Reuben is a fantastic guitar player, he puts so much effort into finding the right lead guitar parts and sounds for each song. The group had such a huge impact on the album, I couldn’t have done it without them.”

It’s All Downhill From Here was lovingly recorded and mixed by Jonathan Pearce (The Beths) at Vogelmorn Hall and mastered by Oliver Devlin (Hans Pucket). Throughout the album Dateline share recordings of the band banter captured from the recording sessions, showcasing the passion through the process and their collective dry wit.

“Vogelmorn Hall has really left its mark on the album. Recording over the course of a few days in a big space with trusted friends was such a fun experience. I am really proud of what we managed to achieve. Jonathan Pearce (who recorded, mixed and also produced the album) played a really significant role in guiding us to get the most out of our songs. He also captured sounds and band chat that happened between takes which we’ve sprinkled throughout the album. I really hope listeners enjoy being able to imagine that they are part of the process too.”

Reflecting on the year that’s been and the hard work put into the album, Everingham says “I’m relieved that it’s finished but chomping at the bit to get on the road in September & October and start writing the next one!”

Photo Credit: Nicola Sandford

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