Spirit Boy Release Debut Album ‘The Existential Hours’ on 30 May
Ōtautahi indie-rock outfit Spirit Boy will release their debut album, The Existential Hours, on Friday 30 May.
Largely written during the solitude of COVID-19 lockdowns, frontman Ethan Mead describes the album as “a collection of joyous songs about being sad – a sort of celebration of the full spectrum of human emotion.”
“The album is a piece of me,” Mead says. “It was important to take the time to get it right. It really was a labour of love.”
Blending poignant lyricism with rich, textured instrumentation, The Existential Hours explores themes of identity, resilience, connection, and emotional growth. The track Julia, for example, is a love letter to Mead’s daughter, whom he had when he was just 17. Sonically, it draws from 60’s/70’s Americana, the earnestness of 80’s new romanticism, and the stadium-filling guitar bands that shaped the band’s formative years.
The album’s title comes from a lyric in the closing track, Time is Short, a brooding, atmospheric closer that captures the complexity of being human:
There’s a power in the quiet that precedes the morning song
The existential hours when all conscious thought is gone.
“Your brain can do strange things in the early hours,” Mead reflects. “For me, it’s an incredibly creative time – it’s absolute potential.”
The album also features the band’s debut single Adolescence. Its striking one-shot music video — directed by Caleb Macdonald of Kita Films and shot in Lyttelton — won the Wild Card category at the 2024 Reels Music Video Awards and garnered national media attention. “We did it first, I suppose,” Mead jokes, nodding to the recent one-shot TV drama Adolescence.
The Existential Hours will be available to stream on all major digital platforms from Friday 30 May. The majority of the album was tracked with Adam Hogan at LOHO Studios (Pieces of Molly, Mim Jensen, Pretty Stooked), with additional sessions recorded in various locations, including Ethan’s old flat on Hereford Street. The album was mixed by Tim Heeringa (Wulfie, Loveta) and mastered by the award-winning Sefi Carmel, whose credits include David Bowie, Phil Collins, and Bruno Mars.
To celebrate the release, Spirit Boy will perform live at Christchurch’s Space Academy on Friday 27 June, supported by Holly Kimber. Tickets are available now via Humanatix.
