the Sentiments...

Welcome back.

There were great intentions this year to update and post our regular creative endeavours here, but you know how the story goes: life happens, a local band says “new music coming soon”, and invariably, it does not.

What I will say, however, is that there is indeed new music coming. In the form of the debut album from THEM SUNDRIES. It’s mastered, and we’re probably getting close to saying “new music coming soon”… although there’s still some admin to tackle, designs to land on, and a few loose ends to tie up before we get to that stage.

In the meantime, there’s more to update on—but perhaps not in the way people like to consume music news. There’s no “the album is finished, completed, and dropping very soon” announcement just yet. Most things are still deep in the planning or writing stages for Louis TM.

In the weird world of the music industry, creating music and expressing oneself—the writing, the discovery, finding a song’s world to live in—can feel like the most exciting part these days. Building excitement for a show and getting people along to a performance you’re generating yourself can be surprisingly hard work. You spend a lot of time hoping people will come. The stakes feel high, especially now, when a night of live music is competing with another streaming subscription or something equally indoors-y.

So when you’re writing music purely for the joy of it, without chasing an algorithm or feeding a release schedule, that part feels easier. The only pressure comes from yourself, and only because you want to make and release something that matters to you.

But the live element has to remain, otherwise you’re just creating in a vacuum.

So perhaps it’s time for a new tune to see the light of day. To get the music out of the bag and play it for people. In this case, Louis TM’s full band is doing exactly that. A 10-piece soul juggernaut will fill a beloved Wellington venue with the sounds of original soul music.

It’s worth seeing.

- Head Diver
25 June 2026

Louis TM and the Sentiments
Saturday 27 June
Rogue & Vagabond, Wellington
Support from Lily Rose Shaw