Described most often as “dreamy,” this dream-pop project is produced by Annemarie Duff out of Ōtautahi, in the South Island of New Zealand. Beats-driven and shimmery, the tracks come with a classic twist from the 90s shoegaze scene. A modern, nostalgic vibe for lovers of “lush, twangy guitar-pop.” These tunes have been regulars on the Alt NZ charts and Student Radio charts over the last few years. In 2023, Cinnamon took out the best EP at the NZ Student Radio Network Awards.
Duff’s take on dream-pop is still as ethereal as the genre suggests, but there is a rawness to her approach to the lush tropes that is magnetizing. “The Cheese” is the latest single from Duff’s T.G. Shand project, and it is a bullet train toward infectious melodies and psychedelic tones. The artist employs folk-style storytelling to accompany their pop-leaning sensibilities. Calling a song “pop” has always felt like a loose term, and Duff can take the vague label and spin it into something unique and moving. The heaven-sent vocals melt into the serenity of the arrangement to cultivate the warm and welcoming atmosphere of T.G. Shand’s “The Cheese.”
“I’d been listening to a lot of Nas at the time. It was Autumn in Ōtautahi, crisp, moody, still warm enough to spend evenings at the beach,” explains Duff. “The beat, the bass, and opening chord came out really naturally, and then the vocals over top of them. I spent a long time thinking about whether it needed additional layers – it’s barer than most of my tracks. But I really wanted to let the groove come through and the finger snaps. I enjoy sitting with it. I think this is what it wants to be. Live, I play the outro a bit differently, so if I ever put this on an album, I’ll tweak it slightly. “
