Hannah Curwood might have traded the space of Central Otago for the bustle of London, but, at heart, she is still ''a farm girl''.
''The things that make me most happy are literature and music and animals,'' the 32-year-old says via the phone from Auckland, a day after she touched down from a long-haul flight that heralds a seven-week break in New Zealand and Australia.
The singer-songwriter has a series of gigs lined up in Wanaka, Dunedin and Auckland over the next few weeks.
With the exception of a one-off Melbourne concert, all could be considered homecomings given Curwood was raised in the township of Luggate before she moved to Dunedin to attend the University of Otago (where she completed a contemporary music degree) then Auckland (where she gained her veterinary nurse's qualification).
Curwood, who named her record label Luggate Records, after her home town, will head back to London at the start of March, when she will resume her role as project manager for a veterinarian clinic while also finding time to pursue her musical ambitions, the latest being an album with her new band, Hannah In The Wars.
The eponymous effort is being mixed by Paul Corkett, whose credits include Nick Cave, Bjork and The Cure.
Curwood was introduced to Corkett by The Cure's keyboardist, Roger O'Donnell, who has helped produce the new album as well as provide her with invaluable advice and contacts.
O'Donnell has also played in the Psychedelic Furs and Thompson Twins and has an extensive solo career.
''Roger hosted us at his beautiful farmhouse studio in Devon and helped to produce some beautiful synthesizer sounds as well as offering guidance with vocals and general arrangement of the songs.''
Curwood, who met O'Donnell through a friend, says the new album, due to be released this year, might be put out on O'Donnell's label, 99X/10, though there are a couple of others she might approach once mixing of the album is completed.
''It will be a challenge to put something out on a label other than my own, as I'm so used to doing everything myself. We'll know more about that in a couple of months,'' she explains.
Curwood has previously released two records under her own name: 2007's Sky Above, Horse Below was recorded by Dunedin producer Dale Cotton at the University of Otago's Albany Street music complex as part of Curwood's contemporary music degree (honours); two years later, having moved to Auckland, she returned in 2009 to record the EP Blind Love with a crew that included Verlaines drummer Darren Stedman and Haunted Love, who provided backing vocals.
The title of Sky Above, Horse Below could be regarded as a metaphor for her approach to life, the heavens referring to her artistic endeavours and the equine epithet acknowledging a well-grounded work ethic.
''I work Monday to Thursday managing a surgery in London. It is quite an intense job but I have an amazing boss. He is a vet but is trying to write a novel so understands that balance.
''I went to London in 2010 to play some shows as well as in Europe and ended up moving there in 2011. I'd broken up with my partner so it seemed the perfect time to move. Doing things at home is important to me, but achieving things overseas is also important.''
Having performed at various London venues, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, clubs in Berlin, as well as providing vocals for a range of New Zealand acts, including Dimmer, The Checks and Paul McLaney, Curwood has been enjoying the dynamic of close collaboration with others in her new band, which features a string section and an orchestral percussionist.
''Hugh Harlow, a friend from my days at the University of Otago, recorded the new album for free. We went in with the band over a weekend to get the basic tracks done, then we went back and did overdubs.
''It has been a drawn-out process of arranging, which Hugh and I did, to the mixing phase, which we are now completing. But it's important to get it right.''
Given there are limited samples of Curwood's latest songs (Soundcloud has a few pre-mastered arrangements), it's perhaps best to refer to her previous work, which suggests she treads a fine line between lushness and spare fragility.
Describing it as ''lyrical shadow-pop'' in the vein of PJ Harvey, Sharon Van Etten, Nick Cave and Bill Callahan, Curwood agrees her songs often mix a fragile emotional narrative with warm strings and intricate backing vocal arrangements.
''I definitely have records and songwriters I love ... I have been listening obsessively to PJ Harvey's Let England Shake. That collaborative feel, of a group playing in a room, sounds very natural.''
As Curwood awaits the finishing touches to the album, she plans to spend lots of time with family and friends - and her ''darling dog'' - and hopes to meet a few new faces before she returns to London.
''I can't wait to share the new material during these summer shows, as well as some older tunes. Heck, I might even throw a cover in there. Who knows?''
Playing
Hannah Curwood plays the following dates in the South: Federal Diner, Wanaka, January 31. Chick's Hotel, Port Chalmers, February 15.
