Wayne Bell & Mahoney Harris Release Debut Album Under Moniker ‘Sadsmiles’

Wayne Bell and Mahoney Harris have been performing and recording together for the past 15 years. Developing a rapport over time naturally led to the next step; collaboration.

With a healthy collection of fully fledged instrumental tracks recorded at his studio, Bell asked singer/songwriter Harris to lend her voice and lyrical ideas to the music.

Says Mahoney, “Collaboration is so much fun; to have another mind to bump against, to have different starting points lyrically and musically for songs, and to have the safety and freedom to make some potentially dumb suggestions and not be judged. Often what you might perceive to be a dumb suggestion can often lead to a really great idea or a direction.”

This songwriting dynamic has solidified over time with a growing trust and a more focused direction, culminating in a selection of mostly hopeful musical musings with subject matter ranging from overcoming dark times, creating safe spaces, human relations in hindsight, and the marvel of the human body. There is even an instrumental track featuring Aotearoa’s own national treasure, Janet Frame reciting one of her poems Friends Far Away Die.

Lead single, Brighter Day is a bittersweet pop track reminiscent of the shoe gazey soundscapes of The War on Drugs, punctuated by Harris’s soft but plaintive vocals.

Came Close with its driving bass line and soulful synth flourishes, riffs on the flip sides of an ‘almost’ relationship.

Final Words by contrast is a nineties slacker rock track which considers how we could all be more mindful in our interactions with those close to us.

Wayne Bell is an esteemed member of New Zealand’s music scene, having played drums for Kiwi greats such as Sir Dave Dobbyn, Tim Finn, Bic Runga, Greg Johnson and The Bads to name a few. Wayne has also established himself as a sought after producer and composer for film & television.

Harris has been writing songs since humble beginnings at open mic nights in 90’s NYC. She has a string of folk/pop releases to date, including the EP But They Do,  a warmly received debut album We Didn’t Feel Alone along with more recent singles Band in Town, I Don’t Have To Move From Here and Going The Distance (produced by Bell).

Eyes Over There is available on all good digital sites on July 18, 2025. Listen Here