Auckland band SoccerPractise has been quietly attracting attention for a few years now; not just for its unsettling, witchy trip-hop/electronica or immersive live sets, but also for its use of te reo Maori in the often predominantly white, English-speaking space of alternative music.

The self-titled SoccerPractise is the band’s first full-length release, and while it’s a short-lived listen that lacks cohesion as an album, it’s an illuminating debut for the band, and a promising sign of things to come.

Windfall features an electrifying beat and eerie production, while Haere Mai E Tama stands out for singer Geneva Alexander-Marsters’ stunning te reo Maori lyrics and delivery over Thom Burton’s scattergun, left-of-centre production.

The album announces the band as one to watch. 

• Soccerpractise. Soccerpractise. Self-released.

• ★★★ + (out of five)

— George Fenwick/NZME