2024 was a formative year for First Reserve, the pseudonym of Te-Whanganui-A-Tara’s Ryan Connaghan (he/they). They’ve supported visiting internationals Hot Mulligan (US) and Movements (US), and have toured with Kiwi favourites PARK RD, Wiri Donna, and Wet Denim.The artist has amassed a cult of devoted supporters, thanks to their identifiable sound that draws inspiration from a variety of genres, including folk, rock, and pop. Connaghan affectionately refers to their music as “kinda emo, kinda queer – very catchy.” Following the release of dynamic singles “Alice” and “Telling The Same Joke Twice,” This year First Reserve will be continuing their momentum with the single “Twenty” out February 2025, as well as a second collection of songs recorded with Tarn PK.
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Jazmine Mary - My Brilliance
The 3rd studio album from award winning, indie-folk music visionary, Jazmine Mary - I Want to Rock and Roll, due for release on June 13th 2025! Jazmine is also heading out on the road with their full band to celebrate the album release - see below for tour dates. I Want To Rock And Roll is a trove of bright, folk gems from indie-folk visionary, Jazmine Mary. An album hopeful by circumstance, and brilliant from a few heavy seasons of artistic growth, Jazmine Mary’s glowing new collection is emotionally and texturally abundant, and is all yours to listen to this Aotearoa winter, with the new album released on June 13th 2025.
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The Empyr - Lying to Us
EMPYR, formerly known as the Bull's Rush, released another single from their forthcoming album. "Lying To Us" is more in the protest ballad vein with a heavy ending. I tried to express some personal realisation about the times we live in, alongside some anger and release.The EMPYR is a band fighting out of West Auckland, but hailing from different places. The band is essentially a group of friends and collaborators drawn together by its main songwriter and instigator Tere Crane who grew up in Taranaki. Our influences are many but we all share a love of rock music and activism.
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Sam Podmore - The Good Life
Sam’s journey into music started somewhere far removed from the club scene, singing in his local church during lockdown. Born in Zimbabwe and now based in Wellington, he turned that early passion into an obsession, learning multiple instruments and eventually studying Music Technology at Massey. Now, as both a producer and artist, he’s crafting music that blends technicality and rhythm with raw emotion. For Sam, The Good Life isn’t just a party anthem, it’s a moment of reflection. And if you find yourself questioning your choices while dancing in your kitchen, well... maybe that’s the point. Some songs make you move, others make you think. The Good Life does both. This is the debut Single from Sam Podmore, marking the start of a hopefully interesting career. This dance-pop track dives into the contradictions of university nightlight, its highs, its lows, and the blurry space in between. At its core, The Good Life is about wanting to belong without losing yourself. The song follows Sam, and outsider looking in on a world of parties, alcohol, and late-night chaos. One part of him wants to embrace the fun; the other feels the weight of the scene’s toxicity. This tension drives the music, pulling between hypnotic club energy and something more introspective.
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Miss Crystal Star - Eyes to the Stars
Eyes To The Stars is an extra special song that I collaborated on with a musician from London called Jono Young. We met online in 2022 - while I was singing - live streaming on TikTok. He watched and chatted with me via text in the virtual "audience". We discussed health issues preventing him from completing his work and soon we found ourselves collaborating on this song. I fell in love with the lyrics and sentiment and created a long winded ballad that I sang often, to myself really, reminding myself to keep going. I took it in to the wonderful Rhythm Ace studio and Sam helped me refine the song and this version of Eyes To The Stars was born.
About Making Tracks with The MOST FM: Artist Interviews
New music and casual chats is what Making Tracks is all about, thanks to NZ On Air.
Every week The MOST 100.4 FM features the freshest tracks coming out of Aotearoa with Making Tracks. We top it off with an interview with the artist each Friday – a special treat to kick-start the weekend.
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