13 January 2023 - 0 Comments

A strong forerunner in New Zealand’s Alt-Country and Folk Revivalist movement, Holly Arrowsmith has captivated music lovers both close to home and abroad with her crystalline voice and perceptive lyrics wedded to memorable, strong melodies.

Ahead of her first international shows in three years, Arrowsmith releases a new track entitled Desert Dove.

Arrowsmith says of the track, “In Tucson, Arizona my Grandfather fed the birds every morning. There was a dove that would wake me while I was visiting, mournful and resolute in its song. When he died, I heard that same dove in New Zealand and it filled me with a sense of him. It is a song about distance, loss and grief, and finding courage in the face of these things.”

Leaning into her smooth alt-country sound, Arrowsmith recorded Desert Dove with renowned producer Thomas Healy (Marlon Williams, Tiny Ruins). A dreamlike music video accompanies the track directed by Robyn Jordaan and shot by Si Moore.

Her most recent release was a Southern Hemisphere Christmas single called All My Lucky Stars Are Gone surprising her fans in December of 2021. Since then, Arrowsmith has been crafting a brand new record with producer Thomas Healy (Marlon Williams, Tiny Ruins) basing herself in Otautahi /  Christchurch, New Zealand.

Arrowsmith's debut album For The Weary Traveller received the Aotearoa Music Award for Folk Album Of The Year in 2017, but her sophomore release was where the singsmith came into her own. Co-Produced by Tom Lynch and Ben Edwards (Tami Neilson, Marlon WIlliams, Julia Jacklin), A Dawn I Remember was received with critical acclaim in 2018 and saw Holly tour across New Zealand, Australia and North America sharing stages with Sixto Rodgriguez, Tami Neilson, Jessica Pratt, Willie Watson, Marlon Williams, Nadia Reid and Tiny Ruins. The final track Slow Train Creek was awarded the APRA Country Song of The Year in 2019.

NPR called Holly one of their Top 100 acts to see at SXSW in 2020 and described her music as ‘Utterly beautiful, anchored by a voice that pulls you close and cancels the noise outside.’

Arrowsmith’s live performances have been met with equal praise ‘A pure voice is hard to find. Such a voice underpinned by a soul that reaches out to mesmerise and enchant an audience is even rarer. Holly Arrowsmith provides just that combination. Arrowsmith's concert…was one of the best performances by a singer-songwriter in an intimate venue that I can recall. Aotearoa/New Zealand is truly blessed with talented singer-songwriters. Holly Arrowsmith can certainly stand head held high amongst the best of them.’ - Jaquie Walters, Muzic.net.nz

Photo Credit: Si Moore

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