Wanaka-based rock band Powder Chutes has officially dropped their highly anticipated debut album following a series of successful singles and high-profile stadium performances with Highly Suspect.
“Everybody wake up… these boys have got the sauce!” – Johnny Stevens, Highly Suspect
Though Powder Chutes’ debut album marks their first full-length release, the band has already made a significant impact on the New Zealand music scene, despite the fact that none of its members have yet reached their twenties. The group has already earned recognition on the NZ Hot Singles Charts, appeared regularly on national radio stations like The Rock FM, and gained international airplay in the UK and US.
The band has seen four of their tracks chosen by Classic Rock Magazine as “The Best New Rock Songs You Need to Hear,” sitting alongside industry giants like Jane’s Addiction and Foo Fighters. They’ve also been featured on The Rock FM’s ‘Rock 2000’ and had their single “Scalpel” crowned the winner of the inaugural ‘Thrash More’ competition, hosted by AJ Hackett Bungy NZ and chosen by Kiwi metal band Alien Weaponry.
Their self-titled debut album includes six previously released singles along with six new tracks. Five of these new songs are re-recorded versions of tracks from the band’s earlier EP, which has since been retired. The album will be available digitally on April 11, and fans can pre-order it now on limited-edition 180g White & Black Marble vinyl, with only 200 copies available via Holiday Records.
The band’s rise has been meteoric, and things took a major turn when they were handpicked by Johnny Stevens of Highly Suspect. After hearing about the band from Kiwi fans, Stevens invited Powder Chutes to open for Highly Suspect at their stadium shows in Wellington and Auckland. Stevens was impressed, saying, “I’ve been hearing about this band for at least a year now from NZ fans. So… we’re gonna have ‘em drive their asses out here (Wellington) and open up the stage tomorrow night, because dope people do dope shit.”
The collaboration didn’t stop there. Highly Suspect invited Powder Chutes back to Spark Arena in Auckland, with Stevens praising the band, saying, “Powder Chutes is so fuckin sick, we’re gonna put them on again tomorrow night. New Zealand, y’all got you a cool band.”
The story reached legendary status when Highly Suspect invited Powder Chutes on stage to perform their hit “Lydia” during a show. It became a once-in-a-lifetime experience for the band, with Stevens calling Powder Chutes “the coolest lads in the country” and declaring, “This is the start of a very long friendship.”
Powder Chutes’ sound has drawn comparisons to major rock acts like Tool, Pearl Jam, Turnstile, and Highly Suspect. NZ Musician Magazine describes their music as blending a “modern grunge feel, mixed with punk angst and hard rock.”
The band consists of Archie (drums), Clarke (guitar), Henry (vocals), and Otis (bass). Radio One 91FM has noted the band’s growing presence, stating they are “already punching well above their weight in the Aotearoa music scene.” As Johnny Stevens aptly put it, “They are the truth… they got it, they got the thing going on.”
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