Reb Fountain

Reb Fountain, a New Zealand-based singer and songwriter, has methodically assembled a substantial catalog of recordings in which vivid, story-driven songs are shaped by her measured vocal style. Rather than locking into a single category, her work draws on country, folk, narrative traditions, singer-songwriter approaches, and alternative pop. The sonic character of her albums has evolved steadily, with the country accents of 2006’s Like Water giving way to more varied textures on the raw and emotionally charged self-titled album of 2020 and its 2021 successor Iris.

Born in San Francisco to hippie parents, Fountain first absorbed music through family singalongs. After periods spent in London and the United States—where she worked for a time as a jazz vocalist—she eventually settled in Auckland, New Zealand. Although her earliest solo recordings leaned into twangy indie country more than her jazz background, the refined lyrical undercurrents of 2006’s Like Water and 2008’s Holster already signaled a turn toward darker, more mature writing. In 2017 she issued two projects: the starkly emotional Hopeful & Hopeless EP and the organically textured album Little Arrows. Released on the long-established New Zealand indie label Flying Nun, her self-titled 2020 LP shifted further into shadowy pop terrain. The following year she delivered Iris, another set of brooding, forceful songs again issued through Flying Nun.