Pressure To Be

The first time I heard this, the songs were muffled through a bedroom door where I thought some friends had gathered to vibe out to some 90s grunge. I couldn't say what band the tracklist was up to, nor is it a strict genre to define the music on Pressure To Be by, but it is a pretty good indication of what this compilation accomplishes.


The underage music scene in New Zealand is really good. The music coming from <18s tends to transcend age; that is to say, it is not only good 'for their age', but is good in any circumstance. Some of the music being written is more mature than what many of the fully grown musicians of our country are currently producing, an opinion that Underdead has mentioned before. 


After Nicole Gaffney was inspired by her discovery of an under-21 Olfactory Records compilation album sitting under a pile of sale CDs in Real Groovy one time, she teamed up with other half James Stuteley of Papaiti Records and they began working on a necessary testament to the great scene we've become stuck in. The album, Pressure To Be (apparently named from Nevernudes lyrics), is a showcase of teens who have proved their genius on the wider scale, who give us a reason to support NZ Music (+Month), who have played gigs tirelessly and incessantly to bare us their souls and provoke a response. Some bands featured are no longer teens, some have split up, some have just released albums, some still have years until any bar will let them play without parental supervision. 



On Wednesday December 8th, the album will be available for $7 download on bandcamp and the physical $10* CD will be available from Real Groovy, Under The Radar, Smoke CDs, Slowboat, by contacting any of the bands featured, K Records if you're in the US, or you can email compilation@papaiti.com if none of these options apply. It's a collector's item, it's a cheaper way for you to support the bands involved, it's a sweet way to discover new bands, it has taken a lot of effort to produce and I predict this will be apparent to anyone who gets to hold the CD in their sweaty little hands and/or vibe out to it in their bedroom. 


The full track-list is on the facebook page dedicated to this compilation, and features names that are probably very familiar (depending where you're reading from) as well as a few newcomers to the scene. Each band has provided a square of art for the cover book, ranging from messy scribbling to aesthetic genius to downright crude. It's an apt summary of youthful New Zealand, 2010. 


To celebrate the launch on December 8th, Underdead is presenting the official party featuring a (one-time?) reformation of Nice Birds, a privileged appearance of the mystical Lol-Fi, a consistently-more-intense fireworks display from the Campus-worthy Kitsunegari amongst some other sweet Auckland locals. Facebook event page to be created, but plan to be at [æ] early as the gig will be finishing before your bedtime in true underage style.  


See you there.


*the price hasn't been confirmed but $10 is the current plan. 
P.S. Take note: [æ] is the same venue as last month's Celestial debut, but has since taken aboard an official name. 
The pronunciation is 'ash tree'.