Biography
Wurld Series is a fluid, collaborative music collective from Woolston, Christchurch, founded by Lancashire-born musician Luke Towart after he relocated to New Zealand in 2012. Operating under what Towart has described as a “music-making guild” ethos, the group has featured a revolving membership including Brian Feary (who also runs the Melted Ice Cream label), Ben Woods, Adam Hattaway (who went on to form Adam Hattaway & The Haunters), and Emma Hattaway. Recorded to four-track cassette and shaped by the DIY infrastructure of the Christchurch underground, Wurld Series draw comparisons to The 3Ds and Built to Spill, blending lo-fi textures with a literary, unhurried sensibility.
The group built their early catalogue through digital compilations and small-run cassette releases on the Melted Ice Cream label, including the Lunch Songs / Pool Food compilation (2013) and a split cassette with Jim Nothing (2015). Their full-length debut Air Goofy arrived in 2017, followed by Stately and Befrothed in 2018. Both albums cemented the band’s reputation for warm, offbeat songwriting that prizes feeling over fidelity.
Thoughtful and witty.
Pitchfork, on What’s Growing (2021)
What’s Growing (2021) earned the band their first international critical notice, with Pitchfork singling out its wit and warmth. Two years later, The Giant’s Lawn (2023) became one of the most celebrated New Zealand albums of the year, landing at number six on Rolling Stone NZ’s year-end list. Released on Melted Ice Cream and Meritorio Records, it marked a moment of wider recognition for a band that had long thrived on the margins of the local scene.
One of the best New Zealand albums of 2023.
Rolling Stone NZ, on The Giant’s Lawn
Members
- Luke Towart (Guitar/Vocals)
- Brian Feary (Drums, Jim Nothing, Best Bets, Melted Ice Cream)
- Ben Woods (Guitar, Salad Boys)
- Adam Hattaway (Guitar/Vocals, Adam Hattaway & The Haunters, The Eastern)
- Emma Hattaway (Vocals)
Discography
- Lunch Songs / Pool Food [Digital] (2013, Melted Ice Cream)
- Wurld Series / Jim Nothing Split [Cassette] (2015, Melted Ice Cream, MIC0053)
- Air Goofy [Digital] (2017, Melted Ice Cream, MIC0073)
- Stately and Befrothed [Digital] (2018, Melted Ice Cream)
- What’s Growing [Vinyl] (2021, Melted Ice Cream, MICV006)
- The Giant’s Lawn [Vinyl] (2023, Melted Ice Cream / Meritorio Records, MICV012)