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MUSIC FEATURE

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FLOWERING CLOHER

In embracing the convergence of their M ā ori and queer identities in the term 'takat ā pui', JEN CLOHER started on a richly rewarding path which inspired their magnificent new LP – and we asked them all about it. Words Zoë Radas

always been a tool for change and it’s a great way to get people to think deeply about something while their nervous system is being flooded with serotonin. In the title track, you’ve contracted the title’s corresponding lyric into “I am the river is me.” It’s like an ouroboros or maybe an imperfect palindrome.Why did you make this decision? 'Ko au te awa, ko te awa ko au' or ‘I am the river, the river is me’ is a M ā ori proverb. It speaks to the M ā ori worldview of seeing ourselves as part of the land,

There's so much gentle, dry wit in ManaTakat ā pui – not just in your delivery but in some of your wordplay, the brass, even the melody suggests a wink. Is humour a critical part of takat ā pui resisting oppression through art, activism, and your mere existence? There’s a satirist on Instagram called Saint Hoax who marries current politics with pop culture to call out inequality, racism, transphobia. They must spend hours sourcing clip material to edit into memes, it’s so funny and it resonates because they have over three million followers. Humour and satire has

waterways and skies. I think it’s a beautiful way of remembering our role as caretakers and our responsibility to the incredible planet that we share. If we see something as part of who we are, we are more likely to care for it...

I Am the

River, the River Is Me by Jen Cloher is out now via Milk! Records.

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That was when it really started. The penny kind of dropped that our music was not just relating to people here, but in the UK... it was cool. This record was created from a titanic pool of 70 early demos; what does this number mean to you? There's songs on this album that are really, really old ideas that are mixed in with new ideas, but that's just how we are. I remember we were recording in London for this album, and Mason was in the other room writing another song. So, it's just a constant thing. I think everyone finds it therapeutic to write music. And you don't just write music for the sake of, you know, because you're in a band – you do it because it makes you feel good. It's how you deal with things in your life. We just have a constant sort of movement of new songs. I guess when it dries up, we won't be a band anymore, but we've got a lot of tunes hanging around... ZKR

How Many Dreams? by DMA'S is out now via IOhYou.

Combing all life's joys and miseries through dancefloor catharsis and bittersweet melody, the fourth DMA'S album will sweep you straight off your feet.We threw some questions to the band's lead vocalist Tommy O'Dell, all about How Many Dreams? . Words Zoë Radas SALAD DAYS WITH DMA'S

immediate impact on people. It was also a gig we did in Scotland at Barrow Lands, on one of our earlier tours around 2016. It was just an atmosphere at a show that I, at that point, hadn’t experienced, and I realised, 'Something's really happening here with this band'. And on top of that, we're in Glasgow on the other side of the world, and I'm from Sydney, so that was really special.

One of you described How Many Dreams? as “the most relatable album [you've] made.”When did you realise the music was stretching its connection far wider than just the three of you had accomplished before? As far as our releases, it was always from our first release, Delete . It was kind of when we realised the music was having an

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10 MARCH 2023

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