Providing a hazy, immersive journey through youthful uncertainty and nostalgia, ‘Betterland’ is the debut album from Ōtepoti-based alternative rock outfit The Audio Visual Dropkicks.
A smooth blend of dreamy indie rock, ‘Betterland’ manages to feel both weightless and deeply grounded. The Otago University student four-piece affectionately known as the ‘Kicks’ – Kaia Kahurangi Jamieson (vocals, rhythm guitar), Jeremy Kinley (vocals, bass), Shaarav Jog (drums), and George on lead guitar – have crafted a debut that refines the band’s coming of age sound, reflecting both the excitement and doubts that shape early adulthood.
Thematically the 12-track album leans into themes of love, fate and longing, all wrapped in a haze of layered guitars and harmonies. There’s a cohesiveness and blend to the way the songs flow together, with beautiful shared vocals from Kaia and Jeremy providing a compelling duality to the record. The filtered guitar riffs and rhythmic drum beats are stirred well throughout the album, creating a captivating soundscape that is easy on the ears.
At the heart of ‘Betterland’ is the album’s lead single and lyrical standout If I’m Ever Dreaming. Floating between reality and an almost dreamlike unknown, with Jeremy’s gentle vocals the song drifts its way through vivid imagery. “We could say it’s fated to always end up here,” the shared chorus repeats, a hypnotic refrain that lingers long after the song ends, as if caught in an endless loop of memory.
More upbeat, the second track My Dear Shackle perfectly encapsulates a feeling of uncertainty that lingers in each note, asking, “Are you my friend, my dear shackle?” In combination with a much more upbeat guitar-led rhythm Kaia’s vocals are strongly reminiscent of The Beths’ Liz Stokes. Elsewhere The Weight and Eye to Eye both deliver groove-filled moments, the ripping guitar solo moment on The Weight absolutely worth noting.
Recorded, mixed, and mastered by fellow Dunedin musician Sam Charlesworth, ‘Betterland’ is a satisfying journey through nostalgia, uncertainty and hope, just the right length to sink into without overstaying its welcome. Delivering an album that is both personal and universally resonant, The Audio Visual Dropkicks hold their hands up as one of Aotearoa’s most exciting young indie acts.
