ManaLion is a three-piece who have been spending a lot of time on Australian shores, where this album originates. Their bio is funny and silly, but the album artwork is serious with some mad skills by Radmaxwho. The beautifully produced album is a convincingly rich blend of styles. They describe their styles as ‘soul to roots, funk to DnB, gangsta rap to hardcore punk’, which, incredibly, is definitely the vibe of this album.

Ten tracks in total, with some te reo Māori in there too. If Salmonella Dub, Kora and Black Seeds had a baby – ManaLion would be it. Their album would be a great musical backdrop for road trips and gatherings with friends as it varies from chill dub through to some rock riffs, which I feel is where most NZ bands are heading – less genre barriers. My only wish for the ManaLion future releases is to hear vocalist Duan & Only let rip and expand over a few octaves. That and some care over the vocal volume in final editing as it tends to jump in levels from track to track.