The New Zealand country music scene is growing, and artists like Kaylee Bell and Jody Direen are finding audiences beyond their home shores, in Australia. It can’t be long before duo Mae Valley also find fans outside New Zealand, if they haven’t already. The release of their debut EP announces them as major country-pop talents, with tight song construction and compelling harmonies.
Mae Valley’s members are Abby Cristodoulou and Hannah Cosgrove, who were solo musicians before meeting on the second season of The X Factor New Zealand. That meeting led to co-writing, with ‘Home’ the first song (and last track on the EP). Their experience as solo artists shows in each of the EP’s songs: this is an extremely professional effort from two singers who are clearly individual talents finding new strengths as a duo.
The EP was released in New Zealand in the first half of this year and Australia in the middle of the year. It’s taken me a while to review it but the beauty of digital music is that it’s still available for you to discover – and you should.
Mae Valley is out now through Sony Music Australia.
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