Guitarist Ben Panucci founded New Venusians, an eclectic R&B-rooted ensemble based in Sydney, Australia. Primary lead vocals fall to Meklit Kibret while Ngaiire associate Christian Hemara supplies secondary vocals, all framed by the layered analog-electronic textures generated by Panucci together with keyboardists Andrew Bruce and Harry Sutherland, bassist Pat Harris, and drummer Daniel Saddleton. The group entered the recording sphere in 2013 through the track “Finding” and gained real traction in 2015 with the sparkling release “Running.” After inking a deal in 2016 with Portland, Oregon label Fresh Selects, they previewed their first album via an extended cut of “Keep Running” retitled “Keep Running...and Running,” along with the ballads “Sea” and “Get Along.” The band’s self-titled full-length appeared in March 2017.
