Dimmer

Emerging in 2001 from the remnants of Straitjacket Fits, the New Zealand rock-funk ensemble Dimmer issued its first album, I Believe You Are a Star. Fronted by Shayne Carter, whose earlier affiliations included the DoubleHappys and Straitjacket Fits, the project granted release from the collaborative constraints that had hampered his prior bands. The roster was completed by Ned Ngatae on guitar, Mike Hall on bass, Andy Morton on keyboards, Willy Scott on drums, and Anika Moa supplying backing vocals. Dimmer’s style displayed scant overlap with Carter’s previous output, favoring instead sparse, funky rhythms rather than guitar-driven rock textures. The debut single “Crystalator,” put out through Sony’s Sub Pop imprint, drew virtually no notice from New Zealand DJs. Later singles likewise received minimal airplay, yet I Believe You Are a Star attained striking success, being named The New Zealand Herald’s Album of the Year. More than three years later the band delivered its follow-up, You’ve Got to Hear the Music, in 2004, which also secured national awards. The set marked Dimmer’s first release on the New Zealand indie label Flying Nun Records after parting ways with Sony. Carter stepped away in 2005 to join a Straitjacket Fits reunion tour before resuming studio work on the group’s third album. Released in 2006, There My Dear signaled a return to the guitar-centric approach Carter had set aside after Straitjacket.