It was some time ago when I saw Mema Wilda play a gig at The Tuning Fork, where she accompanied herself on an acoustic and was joined by just one other musician. I thoroughly enjoyed what I heard, and then the next time I heard her was when she performed on the single Where We’ll Go with Sam Bartells, but that was nearly two years ago and somehow I have missed seeing her since then. What I did not realise was that she had turned herself into a full band, and while she provides guitar and vocals, she is now joined by Shellita Goldsmith (drums), Kent Mori (lead guitar), Mitch French (bass) and Hariata Makiha (second vocal).
With a change in approach, it is probably no surprise to hear there is a distinct change in her music as well, as now we have a nice chugging rock number with lots of breaks and sections so it seems much longer than the 3:30 it is. The chorus is a singalong monster, and this has all the commerciality of a massive radio hit while also guaranteeing people singing this at the top of their voices at gigs. Given this is their debut single I am completely blown away, as while Mema’s vocals are always to the fore this is very much a band effort with everyone contributing to a monster which has Greg Haver’s production all over it to lift it to the next level. So, when do we get the album? This should be huge.
Rating: 10/10
