Openside

Drawing its name from a Quidditch position in the Harry Potter books, New Zealand outfit Openside focuses on luminous, high-spirited indie pop. The group took shape when the punk-pop act Maybe Rave teamed up with vocalist Possum Plows, who had been named Auckland University’s Songwriter of the Year in 2014. Alongside guitarist/vocalist PJ Shepherd, bass player Harry Carter, and drummer George Powell, Plows issued the band’s first single under the Openside banner, the streamlined “Worth It,” during spring 2015.

Momentum from those early tracks secured a Warner Music contract in March 2016, after which the label put out the electropop track “Letting It Out” that summer. The song reached the summit of New Zealand’s streaming charts, and the band earned support slots with Ladyhawke, Twenty One Pilots, and Ellie Goulding ahead of the September 2016 arrival of their debut EP, Push Back. The set entered the New Zealand albums chart at number 12.