Echomatica Release Debut Album
Emerging from New Zealand’s thriving Auckland indie scene, Echomatica craft atmospheric soundscapes that fuse elements of alt-rock, dream pop, trip hop and shoegaze into something uniquely their own. The band began with stripped-down acoustic covers before evolving into an original project, layering beats, guitars, and synths into lush, textured originals.
Drawing inspiration from artists such as Portishead, Joy Division, Garbage, The Cure, and Beach House, Echomatica channel classic songwriting sensibilities through a modern lens, with a strong focus on melody and mood. Their music balances grit with intimacy, creating songs that feel both widescreen and personal.
Recorded live to tape at Earwig Studios with producer Darren McShane (Chainsaw Masochist, Superturtle), Echomatica’s debut album captures the warmth of analogue gear while embracing the bold sound design of indietronica and dream pop. The result is a record that feels like a late-night transmission – at once cinematic and intimate, with hypnotic beats, shimmering guitars, and sweeping synths that carry the listener through an emotional journey.
Vocalist Charlie Maclean: “After getting COVID three years ago I had to relearn how to sing, which brought a breathier, more vulnerable voice that works beautifully with our style. I like to explore juxtapositions of light and dark, starting from personal experience and filtering it through shifting perspectives. Everyone’s reality is viewed through a kaleidoscope of lenses. I find that beautiful, and challenging in equal measure.”
Guitarist/Programmer AJ: “This album is part homage, really, and documents a band finding our sound. Writing for us is about weaving together the elements of the great songwriters we admire – both modern and classic – and chasing the feeling of each track. We still believe in the emotional and musical journey of an album. That’s what we wanted to create – something greater than the sum of its parts.”
Guitarist Matt Chong: “What an epic journey! 11 tracks built on carefully crafted rhythm sections that came alive at high volume in a rehearsal space, alongside delicate lead lines worked out on acoustic guitar in quiet moments. Through experimenting with reverb and delay – both clean and distorted – I’ve found what feels like my definitive sound as a guitarist.”
Bassist Scott Samson: “As both a music fan and a musician, I’m always looking for moments of frisson. Those aesthetic chills that can occur when listening to and/or creating music. I find that these moments occur often when I least expect them, and can be as addictive as they are rewarding. Recording this album, with the band performing together side by side in an analogue studio, created the perfect environment for the album to reveal itself to us one song at a time. Those aforementioned elusive chills arrived and delighted, seemingly of their own volition, throughout the process and I’d like to think we have captured some of those moments here.”
