01 December 2023 - 0 Comments

Aōtearoa indie-surf-psych rockers Sojøurn drop new track Where We Go, a dub-soaked socially conscious commentary on the current economic climate.

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Sojøurn bring a fresh blend of cruisy psych-surf-rock and reggae, characterised by catchy lyrical hooks, strong vocal harmonies and psychedelic guitar and saxophone interplay, stemming from their diverse musical backgrounds blending ska, blues, classic rock and reggae to deliver a sound that is distinctly their own.

A stand-alone reggae-dub single, Where We Go is the first track of a new collection of tunes the band are currently working on, the rest of which will make up their debut album set for release later in 2024.

The 6-piece surf-rock-reggae band hail from the sun-drenched East Coast surf town of Mangawhai Heads, Aotearoa, and comprise Isaac Hunter (vocals/guitar), James Finlay (lead guitar), Visko Bryers (drums), Tony Baker (bass), Jacob O’Brien (sax), and Elias Giles (keys).

Where We Go was recorded at the band’s home base in Mangawhai and Depot Sound, mixed by Paul Jonassen and mastered by Chris Chetland at KOG.

Musically Where We Go sees the band dive back into its’ reggae-dub roots, drawing inspiration from the NZ reggae greats and contemporaries like Ocean Alley, fused with their own East Coast surf-inspired spin.

Primarily a protest about the cost of living crisis and the hardship that the people of Aōtearoa are currently facing in today’s world, hoping to provide an uplifting narrative to liberate people’s minds with a freeing bop of reggae dub skank and sax riffs.

Sojøurn explains: “Society is being crushed by inflation, and it’s getting harder for Kiwi’s to raise their families and put food on the table. The allure of better opportunities continue to force many across the ditch to Australia. With this track, we wanted it to feel like a bit of a fiscal emancipation song; to break people’s minds free from the shackles of economic adversity.

In a special touch to reflect the whanau vibe that permeates the soul of Sojøurn’s music, Where We Go also features the poetry of singer Isaac’s little sister Leilani Hunter, and in recognition of the more socially-conscious lyric and its underlying themes of frustration and restlessness, the band reached out to Acid Mince aka Seb Hart to do a deep, dark dive with the artwork, which he completely nailed!

Since creating Sojøurn in 2018, the band has been busy releasing singles and EP’s in quick succession, starting with the highly regarded Summer Tape EP featuring their top streaming single Still A Mess, 2021’s Mystic Ways EP, and the Kaipara Live Sessions EP released in August last year.

Garnering a solid reputation as a crowd-pleasing live act, Sojøurn have enjoyed blitzing summer tours at mainstay venues, and gracing festival stages coast to coast across the motu. This is paying off as Sojøurn are fast becoming a favourite live band on the NZ music scene with fans soaking up their tasty blend of banging sun-drenched surf-reggae vibes.

Says the band: “We like to work hard and keep on pushing, creating new music to keep the blood pumping, and we love playing live shows as that’s where we get to connect with our fans and really let go as musicians. We have always remained solid to the purpose of Sojøurn - writing magic tunes and putting on kick-ass shows.”

Regulars at venues in Auckland, Raglan, Bay of Plenty and Northland, this summer Sojøurn have booked a string of live shows across summer, with many more to come Keep your ear to the ground as more performances are added into the new year and make sure you round up friends and whānau and catch Sojøurn live!

Friday 1 December @ Lakeside Odyssey, Whangarei
Friday 22 December @ Single Release Party, Waipu w/ Dubcentric
Saturday 6 January @ The Wingman Festival, Great Barrier Island
Saturday 20 January @ The Summer Soiree, Mangawhai w/ Strangely Arousing and Leavers
Sunday 11 February @ Music in Parks, Auckland

For more information and tickets, go to: https://linktr.ee/sojournmusicnz

Photo Credit: Cam Hay

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