The Taite Music Prize awards ceremony is taking place on Tuesday 5 May at 5:30pm via RNZ Music's Facebook Page, to recognise outstanding creativity in an album or EP. The ceremony can also be viewed here and here.

Alongside the main Taite Music Prize, winners of the Auckland Live Best Independent Debut, Independent Music NZ Classic Record and the Independent Spirit Award will also accept their awards via live stream.

Finalist Announcement
Winners Announcement

We'll see more "impressive energy and powerful sounds" from Auckland four-piece Coridian as they release their highly-anticipated third EP  Eldur. Featuring their latest singles Rite of Passage and The Witness, this is one EP which is sure to excite.

Eldur (Nordic for fire) is the third in a four-part EP series that the band began in 2015 with Oceanic. The four EP cycle covers off all of the elements that comprise the earth. The Eldur EP will set its release into the world on Friday May 22, and is available for pre-order now. It will also be accompanied with a video documenting the entire process and concept.

Coridian will also be releasing their newest single Good For Nothing on Friday May 8.

Chris Chick from Muzic.net.nz recently spoke to Coridian - check out their interview here.

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Coridian Artist Page

May the Fourth be with you, as Channeled release their brand-new single. The Taste of Blood is hard hitting right from the roaring guitars that come blasting in from the start. The opening riff will get your heart pumping with adrenaline, and by the end you will want to experience it all over again.

Carrying on and evolving the sound found on the well-received self-titled debut album, The Taste of Blood is the perfect first track to promote the new upcoming, yet to be titled, second album due end of the year.

The Taste of Blood will be released globally on all streaming platforms at 8pm on Monday May 4 and you can pre-order it here.

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Channeled Artist Page

Auckland based alternative rock band, Bad Jones will be releasing their debut EP entitled You Are All Animals on Friday May 15. You Are All Animals will be available through digital platforms.

Recorded and mixed by Dave Rhodes in October/November 2019 between Auckland's Parachute Studios and Matarangi in the Coromandel, You Are All Animals is a blend of dissonance, vocal hooks and aggressive riffs, and is an authentic replication of the bands live highlights to date, including the previously released single, Soul No Body.

You can follow Bad Jones on Facebook and Instagram to receive up to date information about upcoming events and releases.

Bad Jones Artist Page

West Auckland alternative Metal band Primacy are releasing their debut album Seeds of Change on Friday May 22.

Seeds of Change comprises 7 songs that explore the pressures we face as humans and as custodians of an overburdened planet. Dark technical basslines blend with a heavy rhythmic groove, while aggressive guitar and raw moody vocals complete a dense and detailed soundscape.

Seeds of Change will be available from Primacy’s Bandcamp page as well as all major streaming platforms. A limited run of CD’s will also be available.

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Primacy Artist Page

The Nighthawk Experience (NHE) is a brand new animated musical journey which will take you on an adventure with its hard hitting story and music. The NHE's musical genre falls under numerous genre umbrellas including alternative rock, hard rock, pop and indie.

2020 is looking too be a massive year for The Nighthawk Experience as the NHE has its debut EP release Current Lies on Friday May 22, which has 5 banging tracks on it. The NHE currently has a website under development and the beginnings of an online merchandise shop. The NHE is created by Scott McDonald-Bull, a singer/songwriter from Auckland, New Zealand. He writes and composes all the music you hear from the NHE.

Scott recently spoke to Muzic.net.nz - you can check out his interview here.

The Nighthawk Experience Artist Page

Auckland alt-rock outfit City of Souls dropped their mammoth 16-track debut album Synaesthesia last Friday May 1.

Synaesthesia has been an album five years in the making. Marcus Powell elaborates: "City of Souls have hit every single obstacle and block you can imagine. For us, this album is about endurance, passion, and a deep love for music."

City of Souls have built a solid reputation as a live act to be reckoned with and developed a strong fanbase in New Zealand and across the world. With support locally including The Rock and Radio Hauraki, the band continue to push the envelope with their sound single by single, resulting in a solid collection of 16 tracks for the debut album.

The City Of Souls sound is a true amalgamation of the members bringing something from each of their projects. Creating one of New Zealand’s heaviest and most loved rock bands.

Chris Chick from Muzic.net.nz had a few questions for City of Souls recently, you can check out their interview here.

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City of Souls Artist Page

Outside In weave together alternative and prog-rock elements to produce a sound that is their own.

This is a sound which is set to come alive with the release of their new album Karmatrain on Friday 29 May.

Preceding this will be the release of the official video for their single Om on Friday 1 May. The clip offers up an ominous and curious aesthetic featuring puppetry by Ashton Brown, which intertwines perfectly with a track written about finding your place in the bigger picture.

Karmatrain is a culmination of over two years of writing, developing songs and recording, and the end result is a stunning piece of work which is sure to capture your attention.

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Outside In Artist Page

Lost Tribe Aotearoa is a Raglan based group of talented musos, hailing from all over the Pacific. Lost Tribe Aotearoa's self-titled album dropped on Friday May 1.

There’s something for everyone on there, and 2 of the tunes, including the lead single Wicked Man, has caught the ears of NZ On Air, who gave them a couple of sweet grants to get their album on the way. They also won the Mai FM ‘Big Break’ for their track Irie in 2018!

Lost Tribe Aotearoa is authentically from this land. This album is gritty, fun, upbeat and thought-provoking, as well as sounding amazing as it is recorded and produced at Roundhead by Scott Seabright and mastered at Kog by Chris Chetland.

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Lost Tribe Aotearoa Artist Page

Dunedin musician Darryl Baser is set to release his second album #secondselfie on Tuesday May 12.

#secondselfie is a collaboration between Baser and a bunch of others, including EDM producer Robots in Love and electronic producer Haszari. There are also a few tracks recorded town Stephen Hastie on drums and Paul S Allen on bass. 

The album is being released two ways: a 5 song version on Bandcamp, and a 12 song version on CD. There will only be 50 CDs made on the first run, all featuring original artwork by Dunedin artist Sarah Flourish.

The first single from #secondselfie is set go live on Bandcamp at the start of May to celebrate the 20th anniversary of New Zealand Music Month.

Darryl Baser Artist Page