Biography
Death and the Maiden are a Dunedin (Ōtepoti) electronic trio whose shadowy dreamworld of post-punk guitars, drum machines and ethereal vocals has made them one of the most distinctive acts to emerge from New Zealand’s deep south. Formed in early 2012, the band came together when Danny Brady moved into None Gallery — a residential artist space in Dunedin where Lucinda King was already living. The two began writing together and were soon joined by guitarist Hope Robertson, who had played alongside King since they were both seventeen. All three also play in the noise rock trio Bad Sav.
The band’s name is taken from the nineteenth-century Edvard Munch engraving — an artwork steeped in mythology, exploring the dark boundaries between love and death, strength and frailty, beauty and decay. Though Dunedin has its own “Death and the Maiden” song via the classic 1983 Verlaines single, the trio insist their name comes from Munch rather than Graeme Downes. Their music draws comparisons to The Cure, Cocteau Twins, Portishead, New Order, Beach House and Boards of Canada — a slow-motion fusion of underground electronic dance music and post-punk guitars washed through with psychic unease.
Their self-titled debut LP was released on 20 March 2015 through Fishrider Records (FISH014LP), recorded at Chicks Hotel, Port Chalmers by Thomas Bell. Described as “a mesmerising, enchanting and quietly ethereal body of work,” the album drew immediate attention from within New Zealand and beyond. Straitjacket Fits‘ Shayne Carter was an early and vocal admirer, and he invited Death and the Maiden to perform at the Silver Scrolls — a significant moment for the young band.
Their second album Wisteria arrived on 27 April 2018 (Fishrider Records, FISH022LP), with international releases through Occultation Recordings. The record was named Bandcamp Album of the Day on 26 January 2018 ahead of its full release. Wisteria deepened the band’s signature sound, featuring a tracklist including “Hourglass,” “Speed of Sound,” “Duchess,” and “Mercury.” The album firmly established Death and the Maiden as one of Aotearoa’s most compelling acts in the electronic and dream-pop space.
Uneven Ground, released on 14 June 2024 through Fishrider Records (FISH030LP), marked their most ambitious work to date — described as “their most overtly pop yet also most experimental.” The nine-song album features “nine songs of their distinctive slow-motion fusion of underground electronic dance music and post-punk guitars washed through with psychic unease.” Reviews praised the band’s ability to blend “dance music that’s not afraid to be sad” with Lucinda King’s voice as a defining feature, anchored by inventive bass playing. RNZ’s The Sampler noted the drum machines are “treated as lead instruments — distorted and modulated rather than emulating real drums,” and drew comparisons to New Order and The Headless Chickens.
Dance music that’s not afraid to be sad.
Death and the Maiden on Uneven Ground
Nine songs of their distinctive slow-motion fusion of underground electronic dance music and post-punk guitars washed through with psychic unease.
Fishrider Records
Members
- Lucinda King (bass/vocals, Bad Sav)
- Hope Robertson (guitar/vocals, Bad Sav)
- Danny Brady (synths/programming/drum machines, Thought Creature, Snapper)
Discography
- Death and the Maiden [LP/CD] (2015, Fishrider Records, FISH014LP / FISH014)
- Wisteria [LP/CD] (2018, Fishrider Records, FISH022LP / FISH022)
- Uneven Ground [LP/CD] (2024, Fishrider Records, FISH030LP / FISH030)