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When Rolling Stone AU/NZ compiled its list of the Best New Zealand Albums of 2023, there were a lot of familiar names in the countdown. Seasoned performers like Kimbra and Unknown Mortal Orchestra; rising stars like pop duo Foley and Taite Music Prize-bound Vera Ellen; the triumphantly returning Home Brew.
Surrounded by the more commercial-friendly artists was a less lauded band, but one there entirely on merit. Christchurch indie rock collective Wurld Series even made it to #6 on the list and, truthfully, they could have made it even higher.
Based around the sublime songwriting talent of Luke Towart (with stellar support offered by Brian Feary, Ben Dodd, and Ben Woods), Wurld Series have been quietly releasing peculiar and particular DIY records since the 2010s, but on The Giant’s Lawn last year, everything came together majestically.
Here’s what we wrote about The Giant’s Lawn:
“An album that is weird and wonderful in the way only New Zealand music can be sometimes.
“Wurld Series’ album contains 17 Canterbury tales that all offer their own fascinating journeys to take, and you’ll definitely want to take them. There are surreal and fantastical tapestries with titles like ‘The Pugilist’, ‘The Cloven Stone’, and ‘Queen’s Poisoner’. (It takes a special band to make you want to listen to a track with the name ‘World of Perverts’.)
“‘Odyssey’ is an overused word in music criticism, but it absolutely applies in the case of The Giant’s Lawn, which flits between earthy rock, floaty psychedelia, wistful folk, and so many other enchanting stylistic turns, and is richer for its ambitious lyrical sprawl.
“Indie label Melted Ice Cream has been producing truly excellent releases for a long time now, but The Giant’s Lawn might be the finest one yet. And in Wurld Series the label has a band continuing the fine tradition of genuine DIY music in this part of the world, even as the wider industry changes at rapid speed around them.”
That last sentence is key: when rampant commercialism increasingly supersedes artistic integrity in music, there’s some comfort to be had in discovering a band like Wurld Series striving to do their own inimitable thing, and doing it really bloody well.
So, ignore that enervating algorithmic playlist that’s been shoved in your face for at least an hour. Listen to Wurld Series. Keep indie rock weird. Keep New Zealand music weird. We’ll all be better off for it.
Towart answered some questions about his life and Wurld Series’ music for our ‘Up-And-Coming Aotearoa Artists’ series, which you can read below.
Wurld Series’ A Giant’s Lawn is out now via Melted Ice Cream.
Rolling Stone AU/NZ: How did music influence you in your early life?
Luke Towart: Pervasively! Music my dad would play at home like R.E.M. and Lou Reed had a heady effect on my brain. I would also create intricate hummed soundtracks to any imaginary game I was playing when I was a kid.
What artists influenced you growing up?
Heavily delving into Nick Drake and Sonic Youth in my teens comes to mind.
What are some career highlights so far?
Making and releasing three albums with my friends. There’s a lot of work and collaboration that goes into that and it’s not always easy but I think it’s worthwhile and feels like an achievement.
What kind of personality traits and values do you believe it takes to succeed in the music industry?
I’m not sure because I don’t think we really ever have succeeded in an industry sense! I work full-time as a librarian and make music as a creative outlet.
How would you describe your music to a potential fan?
Indie rock and psychedelic folk clumsily mixed together.
What are your goals for the future?
Play some shows in support of the album and maybe make an EP as I love creating that kind of short-form record.
Tell us about The Giant’s Lawn. How does it differ from your previous albums in scope and sound?
It’s a lot more considered in terms of the variety of sounds and atmospheres. We tried to make a record that would feel like a funny mystical quest.
What themes did you try to explore on the album?
Imagination, sadness, hermitage.
And where did that wonderful album title come from?
It’s a reference to a public garden in Akaroa called The Giant’s House, created by an artist called Josie Martin. A wildly psychedelic mosaic experience.
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