Auckland Indie-Rock Band VOOM Announce New Album 'Something Good Is Happening'

Auckland indie-rock band, Voom, who — after years of releasing and performing music to their cult-like following — have announced a brand new album, Something Good Is Happening — out May 16th via Flying Nun Records.

Today the band have shared a video for brand new single ‘Trouble’, directed by Matthew Campbell Downs and made with the support of NZ on Air.

“‘Trouble’ is about wanting something so badly, you’re willing to risk it all. It’s not just a boy-girl story, it’s about anything you crave enough to break the rules for. Sometimes, you take the leap, apologise later, and realize it was worth it. Sometimes you don’t and wish you had. Other times you just fuck up and get in trouble.” — Buzz Moller

The release of the latest Voom album has taken just short of two decades to be officially announced. 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.

The inception of Voom dates back to 1982, when Buzz Moller met Andrew "Mac" Macaskill at the Sweetwaters Festival. Voom’s notable impact on audiences, however, began in the '90s, when they established themselves in New Zealand’s music scene with a raw indie sound. By the time Danny Manetto joined on bass, they had already played numerous shows across New Zealand. In 1998, they unveiled their highly praised debut album, Now I Am Me.

Their 2006 follow-up, Hello, Are You There?, was initially released by the legendary independent label Lil’ Chief Records. It was met with critical acclaim and quickly earned a special place in the hearts of New Zealand’s music fans and critics. One track from the album, 'King Kong', was nominated for an APRA Silver Scroll back in 2002. Hello, Are You There? later earned a spot in Nick Bollinger's book 100 Essential New Zealand Albums, and in 2021, it was reissued by Flying Nun Records on vinyl. Over the years, Voom’s timeless tracks from the past three decades have been covered by a range of artists, including Princess Chelsea, Anna Coddington, and Julia Deans.

In 2025, Voom is made up of lead vocalist and front person Buzz Moller, long-time Voomer and Goodshirt member and guitarist Murray Fisher, bass player Nick Buckton (AKA sidekicknick), and drummer Josh Sorenson. After years of promising the team at Flying Nun Records that they’re sitting on a vault of unreleased and brand new material, the next legendary album from Voom is just around the corner; Something Good Is Happening is out digitally, on vinyl LP and CD on May 16th via Flying Nun Records.

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