Ringlets Share New Single/Video 'Street Massage' - Scoop - New Zealand News

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Friday, 2 May 2025, 11:22 am
Press Release: Flying Nun Records

Photo Credit: Lola Fountain-Best / Supplied

Today, Ringlets share the blistering new single ‘Street Massage’ from their upcoming album The Lord Is My German Shepherd (Time for Walkies), which will be released on June 27th via Flying Nun Records and Leather Jacket Records.

Following up the slyly-subdued ‘Heavenly Wheel’, ‘Street Massage’ leaps and bounds down crunching gravel guitar and traverses vast thunderous rhythms, stepping over shimmering strings - halting for the stop-sign stentorian vocal delivery of Leith Towers.

Leith shares, “The song is about a low-wage masseur who plies his trade on the streets of Point Chevalier. It was originally about the International Dysphagia Diet Standardisation Initiative (IDDSI), and the plight of a clinician in trying to encourage support workers to adhere to mealtime plans and feeding safety protocols. As the song evolved, it became a reflection on the broader struggles faced by low-wage workers in care roles. It highlights the emotional and physical toll of jobs that often go unnoticed and undervalued, despite the immense responsibility they demand. The masseur in the song is an allegory for the overlooked nurturers.”

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Accompanying the song is a music video centred on a staunch delivery from singer Leith, backed up by a posse of local battlers. The posse includes members of the bands Dale Kerrigan, Cruelly, Cold Ceiling, Mullbrain, Awning, and Blunt Dog. The nocturnal scenes of under-construction Point Chevalier are stitched together with psychotic flashes of forgotten video games of the 90s, philological imagery, and hand-drawn horoscopes from 17th-century England.

The Lord Is My German Shepherd (Time for Walkies) is the band's shimmering follow-up to their distinct eponymous debut in 2023 and a vibrant expression of their singular song craft.

Produced by Ringlets - Arabella Poulsen (bass & vocals), Arlo Grey (drums), László Reynolds (guitar & vocals) and Leith Towers (lead-vocalist) - in Auckland at The Lab alongside Michael Logie (The Mint Chicks) and mixed by Isaac Keating at Abbey Road Studios, The Lord Is My German Shepherd (Time for Walkies) conjures mystic visions; takes raucous, unkempt yet solely committed turns, twists, and tiptoes delicately between the absurd and the divine.

The Lord Is My German Shepherd (Time for Walkies)is available for pre-order now on Transparent Green Vinyl or Exclusive "Flying Nun Black" Vinyl (limited to 100 copies).

About Ringlets: Ragingly bright post-punk quartet Ringlets emerged from Aotearoa’s musical ether in 2021; carving out space with their distinct blend of delicate wit, grit and evident sonic technicality. With a highly durable, machine-tested rhythm section (Arabella Poulsen, Arlo Grey) and two of Auckland’s leading lyrical & melodic consultants (László Reynolds, Leith Towers), Ringlets have been fast-building a solid reputation.

Catching the eye of former Pitchfork editor Chris Ott, Autumn 2023 saw the band release their eponymous debut under Ott’s label Mutual Skies. Produced by De Stevens (Office Dog, Erny Belle) and the band themselves, the 10-track album is a riotous and tightly sporadic introduction to this exciting musical offering from Tāmaki Makaurau. Since then, the four-piece has been sharpening their toolkit with numerous performances across Aotearoa, supporting heavy-hitting internationals such as UK indie-rockers Sorry, and seminal punk force The Damned as well as stand-out festival performances at The Others Way, Nest Fest & Newtown Festival.

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