Trauma Party Release ‘Speak To Me’
Speak To Me is the vibrant new video single from New Zealand garage / post-punk group Trauma Party: the third in a series of four video singles to be lifted from the Waiheke Island band’s debut EP, Because You’ve Been Good. Speak To Me features taut, angular rhythm guitars overlaid with atmospheric lead treatments; a motorik rhythm section; and the hypnotic insistence of its chant-like chorus.
The song’s music video, filmed in The Woolshed at the Waiheke Dirt Track, examines the human cost of social exclusion and ideological drift. Rather than preaching, the video humanises those who feel unheard, revealing how loneliness and delusion can make people vulnerable to extremist fringes. It is timely, introspective, and unflinchingly honest, pairing political urgency with personal empathy, but in true Trauma Party style remains catchy, energetic, and upbeat: a strong crowd favourite live.
Trauma Party are a four-piece formed on Waiheke Island, Auckland, New Zealand in early 2025, featuring Buddy Olson (vocals), Derek Solomon (guitar, backing vocals), Ron K(bass), and Kirsty Swanney (drums). Merging raw garage punk energy with spiky post-punk and subversive pop sensibilities, they have quickly captured the attention of audiences throughout Aotearoa. In their short time together, Trauma Party have completed two North Island and Auckland tours, and opened for high-profile garage rock mainstays Guitar Wolf (Japan), garage-psych-punks The Jackets (Switzerland), industrial-crust-punk behemoth Schkeuditzer Kreuz (Australia), and New Zealand’s own post-punk/noise-rock legends Lung.
The band launched the debut EP, Because You’ve Been Good, in April: a tight, punchy souvenir of their live favourites to date, characterised by propulsive rhythms, bright sonic guitars, and a resounding commentary on the current world order. From the rolling colossus of Roll Up (It’s The New Truth), a furious eulogy to the current political climate in the US; to the ‘grit wave’ dancefloor energy of Sharks, Because You’ve Been Good lays out the band’s post-punk manifesto in no uncertain terms. Frontman Buddy Olson states:
“Apocalyptic times call for the fringe dwellers to unite, form bands, create art and speak up. This is only the beginning for Trauma Party.”
The earlier (audio-only) release of Speak To Me in April, as the lead radio promo single from Because You’ve Been Good, reached #1 on Christchurch station RDU 98.5FM’s Top 10; #3 on Radio Control 99.4FM’s Top 10 in Palmerston North; #6 on the nationwide Student Radio Network chart; and #38 on the national Radioscope Alt Airplay chart.
Trauma Party‘s live sound draws from an eclectic mix of influences, including The Skeptics, Jesus Lizard, Bauhaus, Swans, Killing Joke and Gang of Four. Heading into another busy year for the band, 2026 will also see the release of Trauma Party‘s first full-length album.
Because You’ve Been Good is out now on Bandcamp, Spotify, and all the usual digital music platforms.
Photo Credit: Brenna Gotjé
