Flying Nun Power-Pop Band Voom Release 'Something Good Is Happening' Today!
The release of the latest Voom album has taken just short of two decades. Is this pace glacial, or considered? Sloth-like, or discerning? The Tāmaki Makaurau-based foursome will tell you the nineteen years since their much-loved 2006 record, Hello, Are You There?, have been spent jamming and gigging, writing, rewriting and sifting, reflecting on what surely must be some of the strangest times in human history to present fans with their latest offering. Something Good is Happening is the child of strange seasons and tides, strange minds, pedals and fingers.
After accumulating literally hundreds of demos over the years, Flying Nun Records thought it was about bloody time Voom got at least some of these songs packaged up and released into the wild. The band agreed, and so have been painstakingly whittling and curating and bashing these tracks into shape, to form the 2025 album Something Good Is Happening. Each track has walked a different path into being a part of this record. Written and recorded in a variety of locations, with a plethora of different equipment, over decades of seasons and life stages, but always steered by the unsteady hand and watchful ear of frontperson Buzz Moller — seen by some as one of NZ's most treasured songwriters. All members of Voom (Buzz Moller, Murray Fisher, Nick Buckton, and Josh Sorenson) are multi-instrumentalists and producers in their own right, consequently this combination of minds has helped forge the sound and vibe of this new album.
While this is fresh material, existing fans hearing Something Good is Happening will recognise the Voom-ness of it all - an eclectic rumble of raucous pop ear-worms and heartfelt ballads, with sonic experimentation wedged in to keep things sensible.
Voom's songs have an earnestness to them that feels refreshingly free of irony; a quality that sets them apart in a musical landscape often dominated by cynicism. Voom embraces a raw, unfiltered honesty that resonates deeply with listeners. Their tracks are often brimming with youthful defiance, but it's not the jaded, world-weary attitude you might expect from a band with such a reputation. Instead, they channel a certain innocence and optimism into their sound, even when grappling with themes of frustration or disillusionment.
On Something Good Is Happening, the band stays true to this unpretentious style, weaving together skewed pop melodies that are as endearing as they are infectious. Despite the thick layers of playful cynicism and an occasionally rebellious edge, the album doesn't stray from the fresh, heart-on-sleeve sincerity that has earned them a loyal fanbase. It's that rare combination of vulnerability and attitude that makes Voom's music feel both timeless and immediately relatable.
To celebrate, the band have announced a four-date New Zealand tour, taking their new songs (and some beloved classics) on the road for the 'Something Good Is Happening Tour'.
Beginning at Auckland's hottest new venue Double Whammy on Friday 23 May, the band head off the beaten track to Raglan's The Yard on Saturday 24th before firing up the following weekend with shows at The Loons in Lyttelton on Friday 30 May and finally San Fran in Wellington on Saturday 31 May.
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