Death and the Maiden

My profile of the Dunedin trio Death and the Maiden is live on Audio Culture now.

Death and the Maiden in 2024. L-R: Danny Brady, Lucinda King and Hope Robertson.

Selected Works is a weekly (usually) newsletter by the Te Whanganui-a-Tara, Aotearoa (Wellington, New Zealand) based freelance music journalist, broadcaster, copywriter and sometimes DJ Martyn Pepperell, aka Yours Truly. Most weeks, Selected Works consists of a recap of what I’ve been doing lately and some of what I’ve been listening to and reading, paired with film photographs I’ve taken + some bonuses. All of that said, sometimes, it takes completely different forms.

Over the last 15 years, the Dunedin dream-pop/post-punk trio Death and the Maiden has released three critically loved albums: Death and the Maiden, Wisteria, and Uneven Ground. They have made music that feels distinctly Southern, but rather than just replicating the sensibilities associated with Flying Nun, Xpressway and Corpus Hermeticum, they add new electronic shades and textures to the Dunedin story. Along the way, they have cultivated a cult audience at home and abroad, while doing things on their own timescale.

You can read the full feature here.

Dazed: 10 great albums you may have missed in the last three months

Four times a year, I write a column about ten albums and EPs from the previous three months for Dazed & Confused’s Dazed Digital website. Next year, I will have been doing this for ten years, which feels insane, but good as well.

Recently on Dazed, we’ve looked at how a Venezuelan pop band became political exiles, met the sound of New York adolescence, and explored the UK underground’s new identity crisis. We’ve also explored the story behind The Prodigy’s ‘Firestarter’ video, asked Kim Gordon what to read, listen to and watch, and hosted a Dazed Mix by Evissimax.

Three months into the year, and we’re still in a mad world. Despite the uncertainties that colour the day-to-day realities of many, music continues to offer the potential for shared communal spaces and to serve as a source of collective solace. The global music community continues to face ongoing economic challenges related to touring, releasing, and promoting music, but the heart wants what the heart wants. Expert difficulty level settings be damned, new and under-discussed talents from the world of underground music will always continue to use connection and craft to find their way.

For the first edition of our 2026 quarterly roundup, we continue to reflect on and acknowledge musicians, artists, producers, and DJs from around the globe, all with strong communities, real visions, and important statements to make. Here are ten essential Q1 releases, all available on Bandcamp.

You can read my full column here.

What I’ve been reading:

The Shock End of Savage Hanoi: On New Year’s Eve, the treasured Vietnamese club shut prematurely. Vivian Yeung examines its impact and the trend of closures across East and Southeast Asia. Read here.

DJ Nobu selects 10 leftfield tracks he has on rotation while touring: The legendary Japanese musician has a track for every mood while travelling the world, whether he’s winding down at the hotel after a show or finding solace in the sweet sounds of Chicano soul and lovers rock. Gemma Ross for Mixmag. Read here.

How Minnesota’s underground club community is standing up to ICE aggression: From fundraising for mutual aid and amplifying protests to providing safe spaces for people to gather, reflect and dance, Michael McKinney explores the ways in which the underground rave community of Minnesota’s Twin Cities – Minneapolis and St. Paul – has responded to the violent surge of ICE presence in their state. Read here.

What I’ve been listening to:

On March the 24th there was a performance of the 1985 Propaganda album ‘A Secret Wish’ at The Garage in Islington, London. The performance featured the original singers Claudia Brücken and Susanne Freytag and the album’s producer Steve Lipson. ‘A Secret Wish’ entered ‘A Secret Place’ and x marked the spot…

This one is still a modern classic to me.

FIN.