Music Industry News

Popular Ōtautahi-based indie surf rock band Pool House have dropped their highly anticipated sophomore EP SANDFLIES – and it does not disappoint!

Featuring hits ‘Another Day’, ‘Draw the Line’ and ‘Burning’ – these tracks have seen Pool House (Samuel Crisp, Flynn Fierro, Harry van der Gulik, Will Georgeson) regularly place in the NZ Official, Radioscope and SRN Top 10 Charts; added to playlists such as Apple’s New Indie, New in Rock, and Spotify’s Local Noise, Coastal Drive and Air New Zealand’s Runway Tracks.

Today’s release follows Pool House’s debut EP FLIGHTS OF DREAMING, and performances across Aotearoa, playing alongside major AUS / NZ acts such as Daily J, Bootleg Rascal, and The Grogans, to crowds of up to 1500 people.

The band say SANDFLIES has been about exploration – with all four tracks embracing a distinct vibe while still being sonically cohesive. Title-track, and new single, ‘SANDFLIES’ opens the EP with a unique flavour, skillfully layering Sitar and drone-like guitar parts.

“‘SANDFLIES’ touches on the struggle with the pursuit of money and conventional ‘success’,” explains Pool House. “The track describes how we have the freedom to choose a life not on the beaten corporate path, with our hearts telling us to pursue our passions and not let money dictate our decisions.”

The band says that SANDFLIES reflects what it is like to be in their current life stage – with tracks ‘SANDFLIES’ and ‘Burning’ touching on uncertainty and some of the negatives that come with the unknown nature of your 20s, and ‘Draw the Line’ and ‘Another Day’ being more positive and playful – communicating the freeing and fun nature of being young. “We are constantly developing as people and believe this EP gives an insight into some of the emotions and experiences we have been dealing with lately.”

The bulk of the EP was written at a friend’s house in Cave – a small NZ town located about 20 minutes north-west of Timaru – before it was taken to Auckland’s Parachute Studios. “We were fortunate enough to receive NZ on Air funding for recording ‘Another Day’ at Parachute Studios with Josh Strand. After that experience, it became clear to us that the rest of the EP would need to be recorded there and, we were also lucky enough to have Jonny Paul (bass player for Daily J) sit in and offer advice, feedback and ultimately good energy. Tunes like ‘SANDFLIES’ came out with extended intros and guitar solos that we hadn’t anticipated, but are delighted about.”

SANDFLIES demonstrates a step up in musicianship for Pool House, and is one that is sure to quickly become another favourite with fans – old and new! This is undoubtable a band to watch.

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Photo credit: Hamish Johns

Hailing from Hawkes Bay (Flynn, Harry) and Wellington (Sam, Will), Pool House was formed in Ōtautahi in 2021. The group’s first live performance together was at a show organised in response to a canceled end-of-year university event. Since then, they’ve been performing memorable, high-energy shows across the South Island – including with major AUS/NZ bands such as Daily J, Bootleg Rascal, The Grogans, and Summer Thieves. After winning the Canterbury based DIG THE GIG band competition in early 2022, Pool House secured a free recording deal, music video, as well as a trip to LA in early 2024 to perform at established music venues. The end of 2022 saw the band release their debut single ‘No Clue’, which has gained over 38,000 streams across all music platforms, and since then, the group have released their debut EP FLIGHTS OF DREAMING which illustrates their ability to explore new musical territory. Just this past summer, Pool House played Rolling Meadows, had consistent radio play across Aotearoa (Hauraki, RDU, Radio Active, Radio One, Radio Control) and their most recent single ‘Another Day’ was a regular in the charts. With the release of today’s exciting new single ‘Draw the Line’ and more music on the way, 2024 is set to be the year of Pool House!