New Zealand power poppers The Situations know how to make an impact—they only need one song to win you over. For me, that song was Stargazer, a late ’10s gem that became an instant staple of my NEW HITS! playlist. Then, a few years later, lightning struck again with Family Ties, a slice of irresistible modern power pop. That track now opens the band’s new (fourth) full-length Winning Home and Away, a record written over the past five years across continents (surely the first LP ever created between New Zealand, Oman, China, and Uganda).

The moment I heard the opening line of Family Ties—“I’d lived a mindless life in a gift wrapped world // When I cut the ribbon I made an upward spiral swirl”—the volume knob went up. Five years after I first heard it, it still hits like a major anthem.

Sonically, The Situations land closer to their countrymen The Bets than The Beths (who also dropped another fine record this week, but we’ll leave that aside in favor of spotlighting the smaller fish). Like The Bets, The Situations channel a nervous, angsty energy that propels their songs forward—punchy, sharp, and always on the verge of overdrive. Their sound thrives on simplicity, but it’s expanded by multi-instrumentalist Joe Kaptein, who adds Hammond pedal, Turkish banjo, Hammond organ, and Farfisa organ. His layered playing lifts these tracks, giving them extra depth without diluting the scrappy charm.

Winning Home and Away shows exactly why The Situations remain one of New Zealand’s most exciting underground power pop acts.

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