Miniatures were a dream pop and shoegaze project from Christchurch, New Zealand, built around the songwriting partnership of Ché Walden and Annemarie Duff. Walden began developing the project as a bedroom solo venture around 2010; Duff, a vocalist and producer originally from Dunedin, joined to form the core creative duo. Steven Marr — also a member of Christchurch band Ipswich — completed an early lineup on bass, while the group’s rhythmic backbone relied on programmed, effect-heavy tracks in place of live drumming.
Drawing on the shimmering textures of UK shoegaze and dream pop acts including Cocteau Twins, Slowdive, Ride, Lush, and My Bloody Valentine, the group built a growing Christchurch following through live performance and a self-titled EP released via Trash Musik in 2012. Before long, Walden and Duff relocated to Melbourne, Australia, where they recorded the five-track DIS EP in 2013 — produced together in Walden’s bedroom, with Marr returning to master the finished record. Guest vocals on the closing track “Last Day” came from Flo Wilson of fellow New Zealand act Foxtrot.
The band’s sound evolved over time beyond strict shoegaze formulas toward a broader palette of electro-pop, ambient, and post-punk influences. With the addition of bassist Chris MacLean, Miniatures expanded to a trio and signed with American label Saint Marie Records, home to internationally prominent acts in the shoegaze and dream pop revival. Their debut full-length Jessamines, produced by Melbourne’s Matthew Hosking, was released in October 2017 to warm international reception. Critics praised Duff’s “cooing vocals” and Walden’s layered guitar work, with reviewers describing soundscapes that “rise and fall like the ocean tide.” After Miniatures, Duff returned to Ōtautahi and launched the solo project T.G. Shand.
Jessamines was to be a solid summation of everything we’d set out to achieve.
Miniatures, Torched Magazine, 2017
Members
- Annemarie Duff (vocals/programming, Mmdelai, T G Shand)
- Chris MacLean (bass)
- Steven Marr (bass/guitar, Doprah, Ipswich, Psych Tigers)
- Ché Walden (guitar/bass/keys/programming)
Discography
- Miniatures EP (2012, Trash Musik)
- DIS EP (2013, self-released)
- Jessamines LP (2017, Saint Marie Records)