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The Broken Heartbreakers | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Auckland, New Zealand (formed); Dunedin, New Zealand (based since 2013) |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 2002–present |
| Labels | Rhythmethod, Slow Time Records |
| Members | John Guy Howell Rachel Bailey Paul McLennan-Kissel Ayumu Kobayashi Alex Gilks |
| Past members | Ben Furniss Matt Sandford Sam Prebble Sonya Waters Ricky McShane Gareth Shute Myles Allpress Mike Stoodley Jeff Harford Richie Pickard Angus McBryde Craig Monk |
The Broken Heartbreakers are a New Zealand indie folk band formed in Auckland in 2002 around the songwriting partnership of John Guy Howell and Rachel Bailey. Beginning as an alt-country-leaning outfit, the band's line-up and sound evolved substantially over more than two decades, and its core duo relocated several times - to Melbourne, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and eventually Howell's hometown of Dunedin - before signing to Nadia Reid's label Slow Time Records in the early 2020s.[1]
History
[edit]Formation and early years (2002–2006)
[edit]Howell and Bailey met through Howell's instrumental group Salon Kingsadore, for which Bailey had contributed guest vocals.[1] Howell, who had previously played in the bands Tin Soldiers, Alpha Plan and Salon Kingsadore, began writing country-influenced songs that did not fit his existing projects, and asked Bailey to sing harmonies on them.[1] The initial line-up also included drummer Matt Sandford and bassist Ben Furniss, both connected to the Auckland recording scene around Darren McShane's Earwig Studios.[1] The band took its name after Bailey talked Howell out of an earlier idea, "The Sky City Heartbreakers".[1]
The band began playing at Auckland's Wine Cellar on K Road, and in 2003 and 2004 curated and performed at a series of shows called When Country Came to Town alongside other Auckland acts including Boxcar Guitars and The Radio Kings.[1] Their debut release, the EP Everyone's Waitin' for Their Darlin', was released in January 2006, featuring pedal steel guitar from guest musician John Segovia.[1]
The Broken Heartbreakers (2007)
[edit]Recorded over numerous analogue sessions at Earwig Studios during 2005 and 2006, the band's self-titled debut studio album - known among the band and fans as the "Red Album" for its cover art - was released in late 2007 through Rhythmethod.[1] The line-up for the recording sessions included Sam Prebble (violin, mandolin), Sonya Waters (keyboards) and new drummer Ricky McShane, alongside Furniss on bass, though most of that line-up left the band before the album's release, leaving Howell and Bailey to rebuild around new members Myles Allpress (drums) and Mike Stoodley (bass), with Prebble remaining on mandolin and 12-string guitar.[1]
The album received strongly positive reviews in the New Zealand press. Broadcaster Nick Bollinger described it as "a gorgeous album... soft but with substance, sonically rich and beautifully performed", while Sunday Star-Times critic Grant Smithies praised its "desert-dry wit, and melodies sturdy enough to hang your hat on".[2] The Otago Daily Times rated the album four and a half stars, calling it "an 11 track gem that ticks all the right boxes".[2] Music writer Graham Reid included the album in his site Elsewhere's best albums of 2007, describing its sound as drawing equally on The Left Banke, The Everly Brothers, Brian Wilson, The Beatles, alt-country harmonies and the Anglofolk tradition.[3]
Wintersun (2010)
[edit]Following several years of touring New Zealand and a handful of Australian shows, the Allpress/Stoodley/Prebble line-up recorded the band's second studio album, Wintersun, released in 2010.[1] The NZ Herald gave the album four stars, describing it as "sad, touching and sunny winter music all in one".[2][4] A companion mini-CD, What Becomes of the Broken Arted, featuring a collaboration with Adam McGrath of The Eastern, followed in 2010.[1]
In 2009, ahead of the album's release, the band was part of the inaugural "Slow Song Revue" national tour alongside Wellington's Rosy Tin Teacaddy and Auckland's Bond Street Bridge, with The Eastern joining for most dates; the acoustic trio configuration of Howell, Bailey and Prebble performed a stop of the tour at Dux de Lux in Queenstown.[5]
Ireland, Melbourne and return to Dunedin (2010–2015)
[edit]After leaving Auckland in September 2010, Howell and Bailey spent time in Europe before settling in Bailey's home country of Ireland at the start of 2011, during the aftermath of the country's financial crisis.[1] The experience sharpened Howell's political outlook; he has described himself as a socialist since this period, and the band's lyrics turned more directly toward political subjects.[1] The pair then relocated to Melbourne for around two years, continuing to perform as a duo, before returning to Howell's hometown of Dunedin in 2013.[1] In Dunedin, the band regrouped as a trio with drummer Jeff Harford, formerly of Bored Games (band)|Bored Games]] and The Rip.[1]
Longtime collaborator and violinist/mandolin player Sam Prebble, who had performed with the band since the recording of their debut album, died in 2014.[1]
How We Got To Now (2015)
[edit]The band's third studio album, How We Got To Now, was recorded in early 2015 at home studios around Dunedin, with former bassist Mike Stoodley engineering and co-producing remotely from Auckland, and bassist Richie Pickard - Howell's cousin - contributing to the recording.[1] It was released in October 2015 and received further critical praise; broadcaster Nick Bollinger included it among his favourite New Zealand albums of the year, praising the band's ability to weave together "the personal and the political, the inner and outer worlds".[4] Reviewing the band's album release show at Auckland's Tuning Fork, 13th Floor praised Bailey's "impressive depth and complexity of timbre" and highlighted the politically charged songs "Swipe Card Valley" and "The Revolution of the Wolves".[6]
Hiatus and signing to Slow Time Records (2016–2021)
[edit]The band had performed on bills alongside Dunedin-based singer-songwriter Nadia Reid as early as 2013, and Reid grew to admire the group.[1] When Reid launched her own label, Slow Time Records, The Broken Heartbreakers became one of its first signings.[1] Reid subsequently took the band on as a support act for her national theatre tour in May 2021, and in October 2021 the band released their first single for the label, "We're All Looking Up", inspired by the shared experience of COVID-19 lockdowns in their North East Valley, Dunedin, neighbourhood.[1][7]
Imagine If We Could Just Keep Driving (2026)
[edit]In May 2026, the band released the single "How Long Is Too Long" and announced their next studio album, Imagine If We Could Just Keep Driving, again via Slow Time Records.[1][4] The album's current line-up features drummer Paul McLennan-Kissel, who joined in 2020, alongside Craig Monk (viola, electric guitar) and bassist Angus McBryde.[1] It was produced by Howell and Bailey with Nick Roughan, who also mixed the record, and was largely recorded at the band's home studio in North East Valley, Dunedin, with some drum tracks recorded at Dunedin's South Link Productions.[1]
Speaking to the Otago Daily Times ahead of the album's release, Bailey described it as a reflection on the preceding decade of the band members' lives, including raising a daughter and navigating long-term partnership, and said the record has "a bigger, fuller sound" than the band's earlier albums, with more instrumentation, arrangement and production.[8] The album was released on 17 July 2026 on CD, LP and digital formats,[9] with cover art by Dudley Benson,[1] and the band undertook a full New Zealand tour in September 2026 to mark its release.[8][10]
Members
[edit]- Current
- John Guy Howell – vocals, guitar (2002–present)
- Rachel Bailey – vocals, guitar (2002–present)
- Paul McLennan-Kissel – drums (2020–present)
- Ayumu Kobayashi – bass (2026–present)
- Alex Gilks – keyboards (2026–present)
- Former
- Ben Furniss – bass (2002–c. 2006)
- Matt Sandford – drums (2002–c. 2005)
- Sam Prebble – violin, mandolin, 12-string guitar (c. 2005–2014)
- Sonya Waters – keyboards (c. 2005–2007)
- Ricky McShane – drums (c. 2005–2007)
- Gareth Shute – bass
- Myles Allpress – drums (c. 2007–2013)
- Mike Stoodley – bass (c. 2007–2013)
- Jeff Harford – drums (2013–c. 2020)
- Richie Pickard – bass (2015)
- Angus McBryde – bass (2020–2022)
- Craig Monk – violin & guitar
Discography
[edit]Studio albums
[edit]| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| The Broken Heartbreakers | Released: late 2007 Label: Rhythmethod |
| Wintersun | Released: 2010 Label: Rhythmethod |
| How We Got To Now | Released: October 2015 |
| Imagine If We Could Just Keep Driving | Released: 17 July 2026 Label: Slow Time Records |
EPs and other releases
[edit]| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Everyone's Waitin' for Their Darlin' | Released: January 2006 Format: EP |
| Calling Card | Released: 2008 Format: Mini-CD (limited to 100 copies) |
| What Becomes of the Broken Arted | Released: 2010 Format: Mini-CD, featuring Adam McGrath (The Eastern) |
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 Billot, Victor (6 October 2015). "The Broken Heartbreakers". AudioCulture. Retrieved 22 September 2026.
- 1 2 3 "The Broken Heartbreakers Full Band Show". Eventfinda. Retrieved 22 September 2026.
- ↑ Reid, Graham. "The Broken Heartbreakers: The Broken Heartbreakers (Rhythmethod)". Elsewhere. Retrieved 22 September 2026.
- 1 2 3 "The Broken Heartbreakers – How Long Is Too Long: 13th Floor New Song Of The Day". 13th Floor. Retrieved 22 September 2026.
- ↑ "Three bands in a row". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 22 September 2026.
- ↑ "The Broken Heartbreakers – Tuning Fork October 31, 2015". 13th Floor. Retrieved 22 September 2026.
- ↑ "The Broken Heartbreakers – We're All Looking Up". 13th Floor. Retrieved 22 September 2026.
- 1 2 "First album for The Broken Heartbreakers in over a decade". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 22 September 2026.
- ↑ "Imagine If We Could Just Keep Driving – The Broken Heartbreakers (Slow Time Records) (13th Floor Album Review)". 13th Floor. Retrieved 22 September 2026.
- ↑ "The Broken Heartbreakers Dunedin Tickets, Hanover Hall, 19 Sep 2026". Songkick. Retrieved 22 September 2026.
External links
[edit]Category:New Zealand indie folk musical groups Category:Musical groups established in 2002 Category:Musical groups from Auckland Category:Musical groups from Dunedin Category:Slow Time Records artists