WHO'S NEXT: Gareth Thomas

Lady Alien, the new solo record from singer/multi-instrumentalist Gareth Thomas of Goodshirt, can be loosely defined as being, "about a girlfriend from outer space". Talking from the sewing studio in Ellerslie, Auckland that serves as his current crashpad, Gareth pauses mid-sentence before continuing. "A nice girlfriend though", he laughs. "Not a scaly green one, and a cosmic relationship, spaceships and all that thing". Thinking again for a moment, he elaborates, bringing things into context. "It was also because I had a girlfriend from overseas as well, and she was an alien to New Zealand".

Gareth Thomas - The Google Song

That's the thing...outside of the soundworld of Goodshirt, when you talk about Gareth Thomas and Lady Alien, you talk about psychedelic pop and alt-country. You talk about, as he puts it, "synthesisers and guitars mashed together. But most importantly, you talk earnestly about life experiences told in a spacey way", or as he alternatively phrases it, "an abstract diary of my life".

Viewing songwriting as exploration ("the songs have always been there, you just have to find them"), his approach and output sync perfectly in this respect. Despite having what he sees as, "a bit of timelessness to it", Lady Alien began four years ago, when Goodshirt decided to take a bit of a break from playing and recording together. Still metaphorically bursting with song ideas, Gareth started working on his own personal material in the garden shed.

Gareth Thomas - Get Along Better (Live on 95bFM's Morning Glory)

Moving to the UK to pursue music, and his English fiancée, Gareth arrived just as the recession hit, resulting in a lot of free time to write songs when he wasn't playing with his old friend, the legendary Steve Abel - who, Gareth admits, had a big influence on this record. Suitably toughed up by the London experience, Gareth returned to New Zealand to finish the album off with a little help from his friends and will be touring it over summer. "There is a nice community of musicians in New Zealand", he enthuses. "Everyone is in the same boat and everyone helps each other out".

Listen at: www.myspace.com/gareththomasband

By Martyn Pepperell