Maybe a little bit of postcode envy
Hellhole | Erny Belle
In this slow, sweet country tune, Erny Belle muses on a feeling of disconnection within Auckland City as a Māori artist. In the first few lines, she seems to describe a clear image of Karangahape Road’s populace, with “Little black boots/Pinned back bangs/Long trench coat and black.” It’s a poetic expression of dislike and detachment in a scene that is “White/White/White/Washed.” – Maddy Crutchley
Dominion Road (Dumpling House) | DARTZ
Pōneke punk rock band DARTZ takes a classic banger from The Mutton Birds, and pays a lovely homage to not only the original song, but also all the culinary goodness to be found on Dominion Road. Headbanging to dumpling based lyrics is very fun. – Maddy Crutchley
Biggie Willz (Chillin on the Southside) | Jay4rmOnehunga
Sampling Samoan-American hip-hop collective Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E.’s song ‘Chillin on the Westside’, Jay4rmOnehunga celebrates South Auckland. “Capital City of the land of the long white cloud, Welcome to my Centre, Mangere Town Centre”. Such good vibez while celebrating a POC space. – Omni Arona
West AK Dubz | Risera
Hearing AT train announcements on a song is both hilarious and kinda gangsta. The track reflects the reality of living in certain areas. Ranui, Onehunga, Avondale to name a few that were mentioned. “Its that 828, 685r, use to do urns with the gang at the Spida” is a cold line “Backpackin / Road rubbish plastic rolling down the same side walks brothers got stabbed in” definitely reflects a very real reality of growing up in the hoods of Tāmaki Makaurau. – Omni Arona
Brother | Smashproof
I didn’t even know that brother was a metaphor for South Auckland until recently. The track is the longest lasting #1 single of Aotearoa at 11 weeks. The death of Pihema Cameron, who was killed by a white man who chased him down with a knife, hurt Māori and Pacific island communities. The video is an ode to him as well as the South Auckland community. In the video, Smashproof lay down a coffin, which signifies the death of old South Auckland as it succumbs to the effects of colonisation and gentrification. – Omni Arona
Verona | Elemeno P
I love this song because it’s so horny and Verona on Karangahape Road is still a horny bar. I’ve had a handful of dates here, and my top tip is to order a long island iced tea. The last time I could only get through a quarter of my drink, there was so much tequila in it. Verona is also full of pretty people who like to have fun. Can fully recommend both the bar and the song. – Naomii Seah
Royals | Lorde
I’m only including this one because it got so mega-uber-famous, and in the same breath, I will make fun of Lorde for describing Devonport as a “torn-up town, no post-code envy”. But go off on romanticising AT HOP I guess. – Naomii Seah
Me at the Museum, You in the Winter Gardens | Tiny Ruins
The amount of times I’ve walked through the Winter Gardens in the Domain emo af feeling things is honestly shameful. Somehow, Tiny Ruins captures melancholy, loneliness, and a full heart in this one song, felt walking through this lovely part of Tāmaki Makaurau on a cloudless Winter’s day. – Arela Jiang
Chains | Che-Fu
Amidst a tale of despair in Auckland City, Two Māori/PI found themselves having to fight yet another battle. At the time of release, accounts of French nuclear testing in the Pacific were common. From the vantage point of Auckland, Che-Fu and DLT protested against it. “How comes I got cyclops fish in my water? A nation of Pacific lambs to the slaughter”, “Now I’m radioactive strong I just walk past the switch and all the lights turn on.” – Omni Arona