STACK NZ Mar #60

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Matiu Walters is the frontman
of Six60, who have enjoyed
a meteoric rise since forming
in Dunedin in 2008. The five
former Otago University
students’ self-titled debut
album was the biggest selling
local release of 2011, with the
group going on to win six Tuis
at the New Zealand Music
Awards the following year.
The eagerly awaited follow-up
– which rather confusingly is
actually untitled – has just
been released.
32 MARCH 2015 JB Hi-Fi
The first Six60 album helped to take you
guys to places like Glastonbury and SXSW.
Do you have any plans for where the next
one might take you?
I think [Six60 Deluxe] will take us much
further. The first album opened a lot of
doors, but I feel like this new sound will
allow us to step through and help solidify a
place internationally. I believe it can get us
bigger shows, more radio play, and more
collaborations.
You guys have all come together from
different musical backgrounds. Does that
benefit your music together or does it make
getting on the same page difficult?
Every once in a while it becomes difficult
when writing music, but when it comes to
playing live, it is the best thing possible.
Nothing is boring to us and we can bring
influence in from everything.
A few years back you performed with the
Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra. How
did that come about, and do you have any
plans to top that?
We always wanted to work with an
orchestra, and after collaborating with them on
our track Lost, it made sense to turn that idea
into a show. It’s hard to say if we would work
with an orchestra again at the moment,
but we definitely have plans to top it.
ave you been listening to
ly to get your creative juices
wing?
I’m obsessed with D’Angelo’s
test album Black Messiah, he
one of my biggest and earliest
luences. Other than that I’ve
n smashing the new Six60
record of course!
changes that we thought were necessary
in order to rid ourselves of that pressure
and get back to what is best for our music.
And that is to do whatever you want with
complete confidence.
Were you at all surprised by how much
New Zealand – as well as the rest of the
world – got behind your debut record?
Sure. I don’t think anyone can fully
anticipate success. You know that something
is good, and honest, and I think the fact
that we are unapologetic and unpretentious
is what people like about Six60. It’s what
separates us from others.
How would you compare the new
LP to the first?
The new record is much more concise,
comprehensive and thought through. Plus our
skills and tastes have changed a lot over the
last three years. It is very much a progression
from the first record, however it’s similar to
the first record in that we write songs about
people, for people.
How do you decide on which image to use
for your album covers? Both of them have
been unusual and striking choices so far.
With both album covers we have been
fortunate enough to collaborate with Michael
Parekowhai, a local and internationally
renowned artist. Everything we do, whether
it in studio or on stage, has a depth and int
that we believe sets us apart. This is the
thing that creates something more than jus
music, it creates a feeling, and to me that i
what music is. More recently my obsessio
has been simplicity and conceptuality, of
which Michael is a master. Our covers are
simple, striking and conceptual. You won’t
miss it on the shelves.
So what have you guys been up to since
the release of your debut back in 2011?
We’ve been touring the world consistently,
writing, collaborating and having a hell of a time!
More recently we have been finishing the last
touches on the new album and putting together
a great new show to tour in May.
Given the huge success of your debut,
were you feeling much pressure to deliver
on the follow-up?
There was a moment where we did feel the
pressure, and it can be a very toxic thing if you
let that pressure dictate how you are creatively.
While we were living in Berlin the pressure
and discomfort was high, so much that we
wrote what we thought was going to be the
album, only to re-write it twice more. We made
Matiu Walters
visit EXTRAS