Birthday Suite

Brand new sealed album from NZs Kody Nielson.

Kody Nielson is stoked to announce the release of his new solo album, Birthday Suite via Flying Nun Records, streaming today, with physical vinyl and CDs available in stores this Friday May 11. Each song from the album represents a birthday for one of Kody's friends and family and today the release falls on Kody's own birthday... Happy Birthday, Kody!

To celebrate the release this week, this Friday May 11 St Kevin's Arcade will be home to a pop-up event including food, exclusive screenings of clips from the Birthday Suite movie, and most importantly... This will be the only place in the world you can physically purchase the strictly limited Artist Edition of the album. This edition comes in an exclusive white vinyl, and includes your very own birthday card insert. If you can't make it on Friday, there's another opportunity to head along on Saturday 12 May too. Come to the little corner pop-up store from 10am- 6pm across both days. Follow and stay up to date with the event here.
Forever twisting genre, technique and persona, Kody Nielson continues to be one of New Zealand's most vital musicians. Nielson's groundbreaking production, songwriting and exhilarating live performance with art punk pioneers The Mint Chicks helped to secure the group fans worldwide and five New Zealand Music Awards for their 2007 gold-certified album Crazy? Yes! Dumb? No! Since the group's disbanding in 2010, his solo project Silicon has been praised by the likes of Pharrell Williams and Justin Timberlake, as well as winning the prestigious Taite Music Prize for the 2016 album Personal Computer. Alongside his work with Bic Runga and their group Opossom, Kody has been an integral collaborator in brother Ruban's project Unknown Mortal Orchestra, and is presently touring with UMO as drummer. Now, Nielson returns with Birthday Suite, notably the first full-length to be released under his own name. Released today (May 9) via Flying Nun Records, this auspicious release date marks Kody's own birthday; with each of the record's 12 songs written for one of the artist's family and friend's birthday. Birthday Suite's instrumental concept also sees each single on the album unveiled to coincide with the namesakes on birthday.

Birthday Suite is an energetic, elaborate set of instrumental arrangements comprised of drums, bass guitar, strings, electric piano and synthesizer. A concise and challenging experimentation, Birthday Suite takes ques from everything from the baroque to Afrobeat, Jazz Fusion, Psychedelic Rock and offbeat explorational sounds while maintaining a commitment to classic songcraft and musicianship.

First single Bic's Birthday - sees baroque melodies skating with graceful aplomb over funky drum beats, calling to mind Wendy Carlos or CAN, while second single Ruban's Birthday is a short, sharp composition melding psychedelic string arrangements with swirling drums and organ.  His constant ability to agitate and explore his own boundaries, has seen Nielson cement his position as one of the most urgent and interesting characters in New Zealand's music history.