Album Review: Elemental

Out of all Kiwi collaborative bands, Fly My Pretties has to be a fan favourite.

Since 2004, they have managed to etch their way onto the Kiwi music scene while making a whole heap of fans fall in love with them and their music.

With members past, present and future not limited to Barnaby Weir, Jarney Murphy, Mike Fabulous, Nigel Patterson (all in The Black Seeds), Age Pryor (Wellington International Ukulele Orchestra / The Woolshed Sessions), Hollie Smith, Samuel Flynn Scott (The Phoenix Foundation) Francis and Laughton Kora (Kora), Nathan ‘Nato’ Hickey (Grand Prix & Beastwars) and so many more, it’s no wonder Fly My Pretties has stood their ground and played the long game. That’s a lot of talent.

Speaking of that talent; for the first time in five years Fly My Pretties are releasing a new album, Elemental – an album which also happens to be bilingual (Te Reo Māori and English). With a new line-up including Barnaby Weir, Laughton Kora, AJA, Riiki Reid, Taylah, Louis TM, Aaron Stewart, Iraia Whakamoe (The Nudge), Nigel Patterson (The Black Seeds) and Ryan Prebble (The Nudge), there’s also new live shows including Christchurch and Auckland – their first shows since 2020.

That’s a whole lot of awesome, so let’s get into it.

Intertwining blues, soul and so much more, Elemental was written and recorded over one week at Wellington’s Massey University, which if you don’t know, has some pretty fantastic music facilities – world class in fact. It’s a no-brainer that the production quality is immaculate.

This time round, Elemental shows a range of elements that is humanistic, encompassing nature through Waiata and spirituality.

It’s so powerful that just speaking about it probably doesn’t serve it justice, because I just know the live Elemental performances will absolutely blow minds.

Ten tracks (and an intro) form incredibly rich ideologies of those elements In a way that has to be heard to be believed. It’s also incredibly connecting and is story telling at its peak.

Opening track, Kāwai is a great example of Waiata. Beautiful acoustic intro and soaring vocals from AJA. A note on the arrangement of Elemental, of course it’s stunning as you would expect, but with songs like Take My Hand (one of my personal favourites) it just soars. A beautiful piano number by no other than Louis TM, who is of course a super talented pianist/keyboardist and vocalist.

The talent just keeps on flying and truly is the embodiment of what a collective is.

But again this really is an album seen to be heard, and also to be seen live. On a final note, I can’t sign things off without mentioning track, AIE sung by TAWAZ. This is exactly what inclusivity regardless of ethnicity means. It’s exactly that. A powerful message and makes you super proud to be a Kiwi.

Magnificent.