Gina Malcolm Releases New Single ‘Traps’
From her aptly titled debut album, First Rodeo, Gina Malcolm releases the latest single to come from the record, Traps. Opening like a lost post-punk nugget, a rich, rolling groove of a bassline (courtesy of Rob Murphy) opens proceedings, before gothic country electric guitar squalls puncture the rhythm of the song and Malcolm gets soulful and hypnotic with a cautionary warning for the listener.
“The origin of the song is a fascinating one, a chance musical moment in the studio leading to its writing. “First Rodeo producer and performer Matt Joe Gow was warming up on the electric at Sublime studio ahead of our recording session and I heard him playing the riff which became Traps,” recalls Malcolm. “Immediately I said it sounded great and that we should develop it – and that I already had some lyrics in mind.”
“I wanted it to be a bit punk, a bit staunch… a song about the demands of modern life, pressures on women to uphold crazy beauty standards, to confront the fake advertising world and corporate greed and generally question values in life… new cars, superficial stuff. And to include a warning to “Mind Out for the Traps” .. which can trip us up.”
Leanne Malcolm has changed her tune in recent years. Known across New Zealand as a radio and television journalist and as the presenter of TV3’s Nightline in the 90s, she has had a radical shift in career since 2021. Under her artist name Gina Malcolm (Leanne’s middle name) she’s been recording and releasing original music, fulfilling a dream that started in her 20s.
A collaboration with Arrowtown’s respected alt-country artist Tom Maxwell led to a recording studio session at Sublime in Waitaki. Tom’s band Killergrams played on five new songs and Malcolm was hooked.
A willing collaborator, Gina drew on the experience of musician and producer Matt Joe Gow and pulled artists such as Adam Hattaway and his band The Haunters into her orbit, bringing her songs to life through their inspired direction and playing. Songwriting often involved long-distance calls, emails, and sharing of demos, yet the range of contributors and the way the album came together worked perfectly. Such is the sonic cohesiveness and overarching atmosphere of the record.
“It’s been a journey, but one of the best times of my life,” Gina says of the writing and recording process. “This is a very different Leanne Malcolm who used to read the news. I like being Gina, as it indicates my life has shifted in radical ways, and I’m not a one-trick pony. It’s taken courage to put myself out there, but life is all about courage, especially when you’re engaging your passion. It’s always been all about the music. I live for it.”
Since it’s release, songs from First Rodeo have been played on Australia and New Zealand radio, as well as internationally on shows such as the International Americana Music Show– broadcast on more than 50 American public radio stations and on various global, online radio stations. The album has received strong reviews in Rhythms magazine, The Listener magazine, Country Music News International, and Americana UK.
