Two years after their Taite Music Prize nominated debut Lesser Flamingo, Sherpa push further towards mid-period Beatles, melding Lucy in the Sky-like guitars with the more modern sounds of drummer Vince McMillan's 808 drum machine pads.
It's not a drastic departure in sound; more like a band tinkering with its carefully honed aesthetic.
As frontman Earl Ho recently told Critic, ''in that way it's like the debut album is a Charmander turning into a Charmeleon.
It shares the same DNA but looks a little different, a little bit bigger, had a few more experiences, and logically it would make sense that it would be better, too''.
Adding to the hunt for psychedelic perfection is the production of former Mint Chick and Opossom mastermind Kody Nielson.
Much like his excellent work on the recent surprise that was Clap Clap Riots' Nobody/Everybody (who Sherpa also recently supported in Dunedin), Nielson adds a lush layer of ''buzziness'', introducing some prominent use of vocoder, horns, strings, and some wonderfully crisp drums to help flesh out and amp up the consistently hooky songwriting of Ho and blossoming guitarist Ben Jack.
The album at times recalls some great musical eras of the past, and the band's recent videos do much the same. Fitting a '60s vibe, lead single Love Film references the French La Nouvelle Vague and New Wave film-maker Godard, a film-maker Ho engaged with while he was studying film at Auckland University.
Second single, Quittime is accompanied by images blurring the boundaries of dreams and reality, something like a three-minute Dali painting or the collective hallucinations of the Human Be In. Bliss out with Sherpa next week at Chick's Hotel.
Battle of the Bands final
As always in New Zealand Music Month, each week OUSA Radio One91FM has been hosting the Battle of the Bands, and tonight it's finals time.
Having been selected from more than 30 participants, tonight's finalists will compete for cash, custom band merch, recording time at the university's million-dollar SSL console, an advertising campaign, and a headlining spot at Re:Fuel's Social Night on July 9.
David Kilgour & the Heavy Eights at Chick's
Also tonight, the venerable David Kilgour & the Heavy Eights play at Chick's Hotel as part of the Beck's Sets showcases for New Zealand Music Month.
Kilgour has recently been working on new material and will be joined by Death and the Maiden and Ha the Unclear, the new moniker for Dunedin/Auckland band Brown.
See it
- Sherpa Blues & Oranges album release tour, Dunedin, Re:Fuel Friday, May 30, with support from Dinosaur Sanctuary. Pre-sales tickets $11 from undertheradar.co.nz. Door sales $15. Blues & Oranges is available in digital or vinyl form from sherpa.bandcamp.com/album/blues-oranges
- OUSA Battle of the Bands, tonight at Re:Fuel 9pm. Gold coin entry.
- Beck's Sets: David Kilgour & the Heavy Eights, Death and the Maiden, and Ha the Unclear (formerly Brown), tonight at Chick's Hotel, Port Chalmers. Doors at 8pm, tickets from undertheradar.co.nz
