Menzies (WLG) Release Debut Album + Vinyl + Announce NZ Tour!

April 10, 2026

After hitting #1 with both singles on the Top 10 95bFM, Te Whanganui-a-Tara’s crooked alt-country-rock Menzies release their highly-anticipated part-concept debut album + vinyl pressing - ‘Holding My Cold Hand, Even Though Yours Is Warm’, out Friday 8th May, and announce a full NZ tour in July and August. The album captures everything that makes Menzies one of the country’s most exciting emerging acts. The band are keen for interviews, airplay, features, and reviews in support of the album and tour.

“There’s no one else like them” - Right Chord Music UK

“Wow, you guys gave me so much energy” - MJ Lenderman on Menzies, Camp a Low Hum

Recommended if you like: The Mutton Birds, Courtney Barnett, The Clean, Big Thief

Crooked alt-country catharsis from the bottom of the family fridge.

The story:

Part concept-album, part Aotearoa-coming-of-age, Holding My Cold Hand, Even Though Yours Is Warm plays out as an Interislander crossing between the two islands, peppered throughout with real overhead intercom announcements. Lead singer Chris Brown’s story-led songwriting pulls from deeply New Zealand experiences: Suzy Cato, romantic feelings towards All Blacks, tūī bird-song, trays of sausage rolls, Don McGlashan. Menzies deliver a debut that feels deeply personal, wildly universal, and impossible to ignore.

Magic:

Beyond the studio, Brown’s former life as a working magician is woven into the band’s fabric and acclaimed live performances - 10 pairs of gloves thrown into the crowd and the recipients hunt for their glove-mate before the song ends, balloons that have to be kept afloat for the duration of the song or else the band stops playing, the crowd all shooting at a basketball hoop mid-set, appearing magic canes. The result is a live experience that is mesmerising, communal, and completely captivating.

New Zealand hasn’t had a band like this since The Front Lawn or The Mutton Birds.

Menzies have brought in New Zealand production powerhouses for the album - recorded & mixed by James Goldsmith(Mermaidens, DARTZ) at The Surgery, Wellington, and mastered by Tūī Award-winning Vivek Gabriel (Avantdale Bowling Club, Onono).

Release and Tour Dates:

Album release: Friday 8th May, Holding My Cold Hand, Even Though Yours Is Warm

Palmerston North: Fri 3rd July [The Stomach]

Whanganui: Sat 4th July [Porridge Watson]

Wellington: Fri 17th July [Meow]

Christchurch: Fri 24th July [Dark Room]

Dunedin: Sat 25th July [Pearl Diver]

Auckland: Fri 7th August [Whammy]

Raglan: Sat 8th August [Raglan Town Hall]

Supports to be announced.

With their live shows lauded by the likes of MJ Lenderman himself, this isn’t a tour to miss out on.

© Scoop Media