BRANDON DE LA CRUZ RELEASES BLUE IRISES IN HOLOGRAM FEAT. FOCUS TRACK 'EVERY LITTLE BOY IN AUCKLAND'
Blue Irises in Hologram artwork
PRESS KIT & ARTWORK
17 October 2025
Blue Irises in Hologram is a new album by Kirikiriroa, Aotearoa-based folk artist Brandon De La Cruz. The album is comprised of eight songs born of a wide range of inspirational nexuses including a 10-day silent Vipassana retreat, an afternoon in Simryn Gill’s immersive recreative art installation, Maria’s Garden, and Mississippi John Hurt’s recordings for the Library of Congress.
The focus track, ‘Every Little Boy in Auckland’ began as an homage to Chet Baker’s early vocal album and was recorded at the artist’s shared studio at Never Project Spacein Hamilton, New Zealand from May–September 2022. This track features Jim Fulton(Sylvia’s Toaster) playing singing saw and upright bass, Brooke Singer (French for Rabbits) and Rachel Hope Peary (Big Sigh) singing background vocals, and the artist’s brother Neil De La Cruz whistling.
“'Every Little Boy in Auckland' started as a note I made in my notebook in July 2020 that reads 'Every little boy in Austin / Is looking for a girl like you',"recalls De La Cruz. "Across from this note is a quote from Trungpa Rinpoche that reads, 'Chaos should be regarded as extremely good news.'
"I have never lived in Austin. When I sat down to write, the phrase shape shifted into 'Every little boy in Auckland / Pines for a woman like you'. I was listening to a lot of early Willie Nelson, Chet Baker and Sun Records-era Elvis Presley. I had in mind my wife’s special relationship with our cat, among other things."
Blue Irises in Hologram is De La Cruz’s sixth album and his first to feature a cast of artists from Aotearoa. Recorded in two distinct chunks of time, the first sessions took place at the artist’s shared studio at Never Project Space in Kirikiriroa from May–September 2022 while the second round took place from May–June 2024 in a borrowed home overlooking the Waikato River.
Blue Irises in Hologram follows the release of De La Cruz’s last record, Two Kilos of Blue(2023), as well as noteworthy performances at Camp A Low Hum, Auckland Art Gallery Toi O Tāmaki and Futuna Chapel in Wellington.
The album was mixed by De Stevens and Brandon De La Cruz and mastered in Portland, Oregon by Timothy Stollenwerk.
Blue Irises in Hologram is out now on vinyl and digital streaming platforms.
Tracklist:
War Machine
Memory, No Friend To Me
What A Friend We Have In Jesus
Blue Irises
Please direct press and programming enquiries to:
Sarah Illingworth
sarah@goodluckmansion.com
+642041387342