Acopia Sign To Scenic Route
Following the warmly received ' Talk About It ' — praised by Stereogum, Resident Advisor, CLASH, The Line of Best Fit, PAPER, and The Fac e — ' Falter ' captures what the band describe as 'a big shift' in direction. ' It's more grand than anything we've written previously,' they explain. ' After many iterations, we settled on something anthemic, short and to the point, both lyrically and sonically.'
The album itself is introspective and melancholic, reflecting on emotional distance, unresolved feelings, and the weight of things left unsaid. At its core, Blush Response explores the push and pull between vulnerability and strength, songs shaped as much by silence as by sentiment.
Formed in 2018 by Kate Durman, Lachlan McGeehan, and Morgan Wright, Acopia began with a minimalist approach: slow tempos, sparse arrangements, and intentional restraint. Over time, they've embraced a more instinctive, emotionally fluid process, resulting in a sound that fuses dream-pop, downtempo, indie, and post-punk, balancing fragility with clarity.
Their 2022 debut album Chances introduced their quiet intensity, while 2023's self-titled follow-up earned critical acclaim from Pitchfork, The Guardian, The FADER, and The Beat, with Pitchfork describing their music as 'a nod to 1980s ennui and 2020s anxiety.' Known for immersive and affecting live performances, the trio have supported Bar Italia and Tirzah, and appeared at festivals including Golden Plains, Rising, and NTS Naarm — and most recently, sold out their headline show at London's Lexington, a testament to their growing international following.
With Blush Response, Acopia step into their most expansive chapter yet, more direct, more expressive, and more assured than ever before.
ACOPIA - Blush Response
– OUT SEPT 12
ON SCENIC ROUTE VIA RHYTHMETHOD IN AOTEAROA
Tracklist
1- Talk About It
2 - See You In Everyone
3 - Falter
4 - Let Down
5 - Falling
6 - Real Life
7 - Chase Me
8 - Last Word
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Otago Daily Times
9 hours ago
- Otago Daily Times
Exploration of neurodivergence in engaging show
Hic Sunt Dracones presents The NeuroSpice Girls, by Lizzie Tollemache Wednesday, July 23 24 Filleul St pop-up space Review by BRENDA HARWOOD A large and responsive audience gave a warm welcome to Christchurch-based playwright/actor Lizzie Tollemache's wildly engaging, high-energy exploration of the life-long impact of neurodivergence during last night's premiere performance of The NeuroSpice Girls. Described as ''a funny and ferocious neurodivergent odyssey, from gut-punching denial to celebration,'' the show is directed by Kim Morgan, who also produces through her local theatre company Hic Sunt Dracones (HSD). The NeuroSpice Girls centres on the challenges faced by Tollemache — as a child in the playground, as a teenager and as an adult, when she could finally set about dealing with her issues. Along the way, she shares intimate details — some hilarious and others heartbreaking — of the many times her unique thought processes led to embarrassment, anxiety and punishment. An entertaining and sympathetic performer, Tollemache's masterful performance is superbly supported by a ''Greek chorus'' of top notch local actors, Marama Grant, Lexie Tomlinson, Ellie Swann and Destiny Carvell. Each with their own stories of neurodivergence and challenges, the chorus help keep the energy levels high and add immensely to the show's frequent moments of hilarity with impeccable comic timing — especially during satiric moments like the wickedly hysterical ''therapy for the patriarchy'' sequence. They can really sing as well. Alongside its many very funny sequences, The NeuroSpice Girls is filled with relatable moments, such as the triumphant announcement of ''boundaries'' and the moving sharing of the women's whakapapa through their mothers, grandmothers and great-grandmothers. An important aspect of the HSD kaupapa is to ''go off the map'' and find distinctive venues for each of its productions and the space at 24 Filleul St (next to the Urgent Pharmacy), sourced with support from the Dunedin Dream Brokerage, is a real coup. Clearly, a lot of work has gone into turning the space into a black box theatre, complete with a simple, effective and adaptive set designed and created by Matthew Morgan, into a fantastic performance space. The large, accessible venue has allowed HSD to cater for diverse audiences as well, with sofas, cushions and mats, as well as a ''chill out room''. Lighting design by Garry Keirle, sound and music by Matthew Morgan, and tech support by Jordan Wichman enhance the theatricality of the piece, while also minimising potential sensory overload. All in all, HSD's production of Tollemache's The NeuroSpice Girls is a triumph, bringing a fresh, informative and thoroughly entertaining approach to an important subject. Congratulations to all involved on a superb show. The NeuroSpice Girls continues at 24 Filleul St until Sunday, with performances at 7.30pm, and also 3pm matinees on Saturday and Sunday. Performers (top from left) Marama Grant, Lexie Tomlinson, Lizzie Tollemache, Destiny Carvell and (bottom) Ellie Swann during rehearsals of The NeuroSpice Girls. PHOTO: GREGOR RICHARDSON
NZ Herald
10 hours ago
- NZ Herald
Dallas Cowboys cheerleader Faith Ward corrects confusion about Australian nationality
'We went home like two years ago and I was like, 'Oh, it hasn't changed one bit.'' Ward, who moved to Perth aged 10, is the first New Zealander (and the third Australian) to be selected for the illustrious Texas-based cheerleading squad. She said the significance of her selection was not lost on her. Ward is one of six rookies joining the coveted dance squad for the 2025-26 NFL season. Photo / Instagram 'I feel like it's so cool for us Kiwi girls to show that we are just as capable as everyone else to make our dreams come true. 'Obviously, we don't really get a lot of opportunity in New Zealand, so we have to put ourselves out there as it is, and I did just that and proved us right and that we are capable of doing something like this and made my dream happen.' Her New Zealand nationality may even have helped her secure a spot in the high-profile team. Ward told the radio show she was shoulder-tapped by the team's recruiters, who asked where she was originally from. When she said New Zealand, the recruiter replied: 'We've never had a New Zealand DCC, so you should apply.' Ward also represents a tonsorial first on the squad, breaking the mould by wearing her hair tied up instead of down in the team's signature style. 'I'm honestly so honoured to not only be the first New Zealand DCC and the third Australian, I'm like one of the first to have a ponytail,' she told Fletch, Vaughan & Hayley. 'You guys will see in my cameo if my hair is up or down, that'll be the answer as to whether or not it's staying. But for now, I've been wearing my hair in a pony and [dance director] Kelli seems to like it.' Ward is one of six rookies joining the coveted dance squad for the 2025-26 NFL season. A Netflix docuseries follows the cheerleaders from auditions to training camp and into the NFL season. Asked whether she was prepared for the fame that comes with the role, Ward said her life was 'on a full 360'. 'I'm going to try and live in the moment and take it all in for what it is.' She knows that, when she makes her debut, she'll be inspiring and representing more than just an NFL team. 'Hopefully, I'll do NZ proud.'
Scoop
14 hours ago
- Scoop
International Animator Draws In UC Students
Press Release – University of Canterbury Michaela Ternasky-Holland, who specialises in creating installations and animated films using emerging technology such as artificial intelligence and extended reality (XR), is in Aotearoa New Zealand for the Doc Edge Festival, where her international … A New York-based Emmy Award-winning director has shared her industry insights with UC students during a rare Christchurch visit. Michaela Ternasky-Holland, who specialises in creating installations and animated films using emerging technology such as artificial intelligence (AI) and extended reality (XR), is in Aotearoa New Zealand for the Doc Edge Festival, where her international installation Kapwa won an Immersive Impact Award. On her first visit to Christchurch, Ternasky-Holland met with a group of Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury (UC) Digital Screen students yesterday ahead of speaking at a Kōawa Studios-hosted Beyond the Screen: The Future of Immersive Storytelling industry event last night. She told the students that when she started out, she didn't know how to code and didn't have an engineering background. 'I really have a storytelling background and a people skills background.' She encouraged them to be flexible and open to new opportunities. 'I think a lot of my career has not necessarily just come from me being in the right place at the right time, but also me treating people with kindness and respect, no matter who they are, and not even realising that would open up doors of opportunity for me in the future.' Ternasky-Holland began creating her own VR documentaries in 2016 and since then she has created, directed, produced, and edited a number of social-impact focused XR projects, installations and animated films, including a new episodic animation series, Echoes of Legend, available on YouTube, and her Emmy-award winning VR documentary Capturing Everest. She says globally the art of animation is changing rapidly and AI offers tools that can help speed up the animation process by supporting artists and storytellers, rather than replacing them. 'If we can utilise some of these generative platforms to do things like frame-by-frame animation or in-betweening the animation, or even helping us get started by filling in background and environment and some lighting – all the things that really take that extra time and energy and budget – then we can have more storytellers and more character designers, background artists, just be able to focus on making good work, versus being stressed about finishing it. That's where AI really sits at its best.' Ternasky-Holland says generative AI cannot replace the skill of human storytellers. 'We can make really cool art, but if they don't have the amazing characters, storylines and plot points that we are inviting the audience to experience alongside the art, then we're just making beautiful photos and beautiful imagery, we're not actually making stories. So I think that's still very resonant.' UC Kōawa Studios Director Sam Witters says it was fantastic to have someone of Ternasky-Holland's calibre and international experience at the Beyond the Screen event, which was part of Kōawa's sponsorship of the Doc Edge Documentary Film Festival. 'Michaela is an amazingly innovative, creative filmmaker who is using cutting-edge technology in her work. Our Bachelor of Digital Screen students learned so much from meeting her and the panel event was really inspiring.'
