Fresh from touring Europe and hot on the heels of the release of the wonderful, highly praised new album Brightly Painted One (out now via Spunk), Tiny Ruins will return to Australia to launch the album with very special performances in each major city.

Formed as a solo project in 2009 by songwriter Hollie Fullbrook, Hollie recruited bassist Cass Basil and drummer Alexander Freer. While continuing to be based in their native New Zealand, Tiny Ruins has spent much of the past three years touring throughout Australia, Europe & the US, playing alongside Beach House, Joanna Newsom, Fleet Foxes, Father John Misty, The Handsome Family and Calexico.

To celebrate the Tiny Ruins tour, we chatted with Hollie about some of the New Zealand artists she’s been loving in 2014.

Nadia Reid

Nadia is a ‘kick in your guts’ with how beautiful her voice is kind of singer. Great gal, a bloody classic songwriter, and a mean guitar player. She recently opened for us in Wellington and gobsmacked the audience. She’s about to record a bunch of songs in Lyttelton for a second anticipated album, due out October or November. Timeless, beautiful songs.

Kane Strang

Kane played solo at our recent Dunedin show. It was amazing. The audience were enthralled, and his songs were super natural, arresting, sincere while still interesting lyrically. His guitar playing was like a mix of Kurt Vile and something more weird and innocent. I don’t know, I loved it. Not sure what he’s doing but I want to organize this dude a show, or a tour for chrissakes – everyone should hear him.

Aldous Harding

Aldous, otherwise known as Hanna, is another unique and mesmerizing performer to emerge from Lyttelton’s snug harbour. As lilting as a Welshman and with a sly sense of humour, her lyrics are of the dark and murder ballad variety. Sure to please. She opened for us in Lyttelton, and her self-titled debut will be released soon by Spunk, making her a label-mate as well as a tour-mate. She’ll be playing with us in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne along with Aussie lads Shining Bird.

Carnivorous Plant Society

The project of the inimitable, otherworldly and unendingly charming Finn Scholes. I lived with this music, this man, for some time. Finn played organs and brass on our new album, and has been my flatmate for three years. Recently I got to experience him playing new ‘Carnivorous Plants’ material in an array of theatrical and minimalist settings, convincing me of just how special he is. A mixture of morricone and moondog – a delight to behold, or at least to enter the world of for an album’s worth of time. Currently recording a second album.

Emily Edrosa

Emily writes songs under this name as a separate project to her louder band, street chant. I can’t remember where I met her. She opened for us a year ago when we released ‘Haunts’. I saw her playing a couple of weeks back at an Arch Hill birthday party (that’s our NZ label – another labelmate here!). There’s an honesty to all she does and the right musical spirit you, or at least I, really want when you see someone performing. She nails things in her own way, and manages to evade genres and labels any which way. I don’t want to bandy around easy terms like ‘raw’, as I guess that’s what everyone says about anything a bit punk in attitude. But that’s what she is and I like it.

Tiny Ruins National Tour

Tue 01 Jul | Black Bear Lodge Brisbane
Wed 02 Jul | Newtown Social Club Sydney
Thu 03 Jul | Anitas Wollongong
Fri 04 Jul | Goodgod Small Club Sydney
Sat 05 Jul | Mojos Bar Perth
Sun 06 Jul | Jive Bar Adelaide
Tue 08 Jul | Northcote Social Club Melbourne

For tickets and info visit

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