Helensville is a small village of around two and a half thousand people located about 40 minutes drive northwest of central Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city. It doesn’t really have a claim to fame that I know of but at the moment (according to Google Earth anyway) it’s the only place in the world called Helensville. It was here that the final decision was made to develop what was a sporadically visited side project for the eX-ray’s bass player/producer, Adrian Ashdown, into something that warranted a bit more attention.

With a modus operandi to create songs that unashamedly showcase a variety of musical influences, Adrian soon attracted the interest of his partner and vocalist Aletta Johnson and a former band mate, guitarist Justin Fricker. Their joint efforts have produced music that fringes on electro-pop while incorporating the fundamental elements and ambience of gothic rock. Think of a lo-fi collaboration of Massive Attack and Joy Division.

To date, the band has never even played together in the same room. All parts are recorded, sampled and then arranged in a process that provides a wholly different creative experience to the uneasy diplomacy that a traditional band can sometimes generate. It’s perhaps an unorthodox methodology for some musical purists, but it works.