Led by songwriters Rachel Bailey and John Howell alongside drummer Paul McLennan-Kissel, The Broken Heartbreakers have spent more than two decades crafting music that sits quietly but enduringly within Aotearoa’s independent songwriting tradition — emotionally incisive songs shaped by folk, classic pop melody, country soul and the long shadow of underground guitar music.
Formed in Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland in 2002, the band’s story spans New Zealand, Melbourne, Europe, the UK, and Ireland before Bailey and Howell eventually settled in Howell’s hometown of Ōtepoti/Dunedin in 2013. Across four studio albums, countless live performances and an evolving cast of collaborators, their music has steadily earned admiration from some of Aotearoa’s most respected critics and musicians.
In the years since their last album, How We Got To Now released in 2015, Bailey and Howell focused on family life while Howell continued his work in the trade union movement — experiences that now sit deeply within the emotional core of the new songs.
Current drummer Paul McLennan-Kissel (Julian Temple Band, Entire Alphabet), who joined the band in 2020, has become central to The Broken Heartbreakers’ evolving sound, bringing a deeply intuitive and dynamic presence to both the recordings and live performances.
The new single ‘How Long Is Too Long’ captures many of the qualities that have long defined the band: intimate songwriting, understated beauty and a tension between tenderness and unease. It’s music that feels lived-in rather than manufactured — reflective, human and sharply observant.
The forthcoming album also features contributions from Craig Monk (Cloudboy, Mink, Dunedin Symphony Orchestra), whose viola and electric guitar work add further atmosphere to the recordings, alongside bassist Angus McBryde (Asta Rangu).
The album will be released by Slow Time Records, the label founded by acclaimed songwriter Nadia Reid. Reid says:
“Rachel and John are such gifted writers, observers, singers, and players. These songs are the stuff of life – life on life’s terms. They sound like Dunedin, and Ireland, like K’Road. I’m so grateful that this record is joining Slow Time’s stable of records.”
Over the years, The Broken Heartbreakers have shared stages with international artists including Lou Barlow, Mick Harvey and The Handsome Family, while also touring nationally with Nadia Reid, including appearances on her Opera House & Theatre Tour and South Island dates in late 2025.
Critical praise for the band’s earlier work has remained remarkably consistent throughout their career. Aotearoa music journalist and historian, Nick Bollinger described their self-titled debut as “a gorgeous album… soft but with substance, sonically rich and beautifully performed,” while music reviewer, Grant Smithies praised its “desert-dry wit, and melodies sturdy enough to hang your hat on.”
Their 2010 album Wintersun was described by the NZ Herald as “sad, touching and sunny winter music all in one”, while Bollinger later included How We Got To Now among his favourite New Zealand albums of 2015, praising the band’s ability to weave together “the personal and the political, the inner and outer worlds”.
The new album, Imagine If We Could Just Keep Driving will be released July 17, with the album’s title track arriving earlier that week. A full-band national tour is planned for September 2026. An announcement with full details to follow.
The Broken Heartbreakers’ music has always occupied a rare space — songs that hold melancholy and warmth in equal measure, rooted in deep musical tradition while remaining quietly defiant. With Imagine If We Could Just Keep Driving, they return as a band whose voice has only deepened with time.
The Broken Heartbreakers
New Zealand Tour
Fri 4 Oamaru – Grainstore Gallery
Sat 5 Christchurch- Space Academy
Thur 10 Auckland – Whammy!
Fri 11 Waiheke – Artworks Theatre
Sat 12 Wellington – Vogelmorn Bowling Club
Sat 19 Dunedin – Hanover Hall
Tickets on sale from utr.co.nz
