Avalanche City
Avalanche City | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Dave Baxter |
| Born | Auckland, New Zealand |
| Origin | Auckland, New Zealand |
| Genres | Indie folk |
| Occupation | Musician |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, guitar |
| Years active | 2009–present |
| Labels |
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Avalanche City is the stage name of indie folk musician Dave Baxter from Auckland, New Zealand. He is best known for his 2011 New Zealand No. 1 single "Love, Love, Love" and his 2015 single "Inside Out", which also charted at No. 1. In 2011, Dave Baxter was awarded the APRA Silver Scroll and nominated for three New Zealand Music Awards, including Breakthrough Artist of the Year, Song of the Year and Album of the Year.
History
[edit]Early life
[edit]Baxter began playing guitar at age nine and during his teens he performed in the bands One Must Fall and The Chase. He studied at Waikato Institute of Technology in Hamilton, graduating in 2005 with a Bachelor of Media Arts (Commercial Music).[citation needed]
2011–2014 Our New Life Above the Ground
[edit]In late 2009 Baxter left his job as a music writer and began recording bands in his own studio. He also began to write songs, practice singing, and create his own melodies. After performing his songs for friends, Baxter started Avalanche City and began touring with other musicians. He eventually decided to record the album Our New Life Above the Ground at Kourawhero Hall and offered it as a free download from Avalanche City's official website. Initial response to the album was extremely positive and the song "Love, Love, Love" was picked up by the local New Zealand TV station TV2 TV2 for their station promos. After this point the song placed on the New Zealand singles chart.[citation needed]
The album Our New Life Above the Ground was then re-released and sold well, placing number 4 on the official national albums chart and achieving gold status.[citation needed]
2015–2018 We are for the Wild Places
[edit]After 4 years since the release of the Baxter's record breaking debut single Love Love Love, he released his highly anticipated new album, We are for the Wild Places in July 2015. The album's first single Inside Out was very popular and quickly reached number one on the Official New Zealand Music Chart[1] and was certified Platinum.[2] The album itself was placed no 3 on the Official Top 40 Albums Chart. The second official single from the album, Keep Finding A Way has been released to radio late August.[3]
2019–2023 My Babylon
[edit]"My Babylon" was released on 22 February 2019, featuring nine new tracks available on streaming platforms, digital download, vinyl, and CD. Among the most popular tracks were "Prayed for Love," "Whispers," and the title track, "My Babylon." Following the release, Dave took an extended break from music for nearly five years. In a 2024 video blog on YouTube titled "Why I Quit Music, And Why I'm Coming Back," he detailed his reasons for the hiatus, primarily citing burnout. At the time, he was uncertain if or when he would return to Avalanche City.[citation needed]
2024 – present Return from Hiatus
[edit]In 2024, Dave returned to music with the release of his single "Keep That Love" on 24 May 2024, along with the promise of at least one more single in the near future.[citation needed]
Discography
[edit]| Avalanche City discography | |
|---|---|
| Studio albums | 3 |
| EPs | 1 |
| Singles | 8 |
| Music videos | 9 |
Studio albums
[edit]| Title | Album details | Peak positions | Certifications | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NZ [4] |
AUS [5] | |||||||||||
| Our New Life Above the Ground |
|
4 | 97 |
| ||||||||
| We are for the Wild Places |
|
3 | — | |||||||||
| My Babylon |
|
27 [6] |
— | |||||||||
| "—" denotes releases that were not released or did not chart in that region. | ||||||||||||
Extended plays
[edit]| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| Snow |
|
Singles
[edit]| Title | Year | Peak positions | Certifications | Album | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NZ [7] |
AUS [8] | |||||||||||
| "Love Love Love" | 2011 | 1 | 49 |
|
Our New Life Above the Ground | |||||||
| "Ends in the Ocean" | — | — | ||||||||||
| "You and I" | — | — | ||||||||||
| "Sunset" | 2012 | — | — | |||||||||
| "Inside Out" | 2015 | 1 | — |
|
We Are for the Wild Places | |||||||
| "Keep Finding a Way" | — | — | ||||||||||
| "Prayed for Love" | 2018 | —[A] | — | My Babylon | ||||||||
| "My Babylon" | 2019 | — | — | |||||||||
| "Keep That Love" | 2024 | — | — | |||||||||
| "—" denotes releases that were not released or did not chart in that region. | ||||||||||||
Notes
- ^ "Prayed for Love" did not enter the NZ Top 40 Singles Chart, but peaked at number 15 on the NZ Hot Singles Chart.[11]
Music videos
[edit]| Title | Director(s) | Year | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Love Love Love" | Josh Smith | 2011 | [12] |
| "Ends in the Ocean" | Jefferton James | 2011 | [13] |
| "You and I" | Jefferton James | 2011 | [14] |
| "Sunset" | Kyle Eaton | 2012 | [15] |
| "Inside Out" | Chris Lane | 2015 | [16] |
| "Keep Finding a Way" | Josh Smith | 2015 | [17] |
| "Little Fire" | Chris Lane | 2016 | [18] |
| "Prayed for Love" | Mark Fruish | 2018 | [19] |
| "My Babylon" | Mark Fruish | 2019 | [20] |
Awards and nominations
[edit]| Year | Organisation | Nominated Work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | APRA Silver Scroll Awards | "Love, Love, Love" | Silver Scroll Award | Won |
| New Zealand Music Awards | "Love, Love, Love" | Single of the Year | Nominated | |
| Our New Life Above Ground | Album of the Year | Nominated | ||
| Avalanche City | Breakthrough Artist of the Year | Nominated | ||
| 2012 | APRA Silver Scroll Awards | "Love, Love, Love" | Most Performed Work in New Zealand | Won |
| 2015 | New Zealand Music Awards | "Inside Out" | Single of the Year | Nominated |
References
[edit]- ^ "AVALANCHE CITY – Inside Out (SONG)". charts.nz. Retrieved 22 September 2015.
- ^ "New Zealand single certifications". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
- ^ "Stuff.co.nz – Avalanche City to tour all the wild places". Stuff.co.nz. 26 August 2015. Retrieved 22 September 2015.
- ^ "charts.nz – New Zealand charts portal". charts.nz. Retrieved 21 April 2011.
- ^ "Chartifacts – Week Commencing: 26th September 2011". Australian Recording Industry Association. 26 September 2011. Archived from the original on 20 August 2011. Retrieved 2 October 2011.
- ^ "NZ Top 40 Albums Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 4 March 2019. Retrieved 1 March 2019.
- ^ "charts.nz – New Zealand charts portal". charts.nz. Retrieved 20 April 2011.
- ^ "Chartifacts – Week Commencing: 8th August 2011". Australian Recording Industry Association. 8 August 2011. Archived from the original on 20 August 2011. Retrieved 11 August 2011.
- ^ "New Zealand Single Certifications". Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
- ^ "New Zealand single certifications". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
- ^ "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 17 December 2018. Retrieved 14 December 2018.
- ^ Love Love Love on YouTube
- ^ "Ends in the Ocean on YouTube". Youtube.com. 18 April 2011. Retrieved 26 July 2011.
- ^ Avalanche City - You And I (Official Version). YouTube. Archived from the original on 11 December 2021.
- ^ Avalanche City - Sunset [Official Video]. YouTube. Archived from the original on 11 December 2021.
- ^ Avalanche City - Inside Out (Official Music Video). YouTube. Archived from the original on 11 December 2021.
- ^ "Keep Finding a Way YouTube". Youtube.com. 29 October 2015. Retrieved 29 October 2015.
- ^ "Little Fire YouTube". Youtube.com. 9 November 2016. Retrieved 9 November 2016.
- ^ "Prayed for Love YouTube". Youtube.com. 22 November 2018. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
- ^ "My Babylon YouTube". Youtube.com. 17 January 2019. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
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