Neverlasting, the latest from Bilders—the enduring vehicle for Bill Direen’s poetic and musical experimentation—arrives as a striking testament to decades of boundary-bending creativity. Since the earliest days of Flying Nun and South Indies, Direen’s ensembles (in all their fluid configurations) have restlessly explored corners of psyche, city, and southern landscape, with Neverlasting gathering this energy into a potent, cohesive song cycle. Recorded in France, the USA, and New Zealand with returning collaborators Matt Swanson, Alex McManus, Stu Page, and Greig Bainbridge, the album blends hard psychedelia, gothic tone painting, and narrative songwriting, marking a return to Direen’s southern roots both lyrically and atmospherically.
The album’s songs—each a vignette or short story in itself—draw on Direen’s travels and literary sensibility, channeling the gothic imagination of southern New Zealand and the stark realities of contemporary life. Tracks like "Port," "Stancing," and the title "Neverlasting" evoke a palpable sense of vexation at planetary degradation, while others find joy in small-town wisdom, fleeting beauty, and outsider perspectives. Guest arrangements by Alex McManus and the interplay of longstanding and new Bilders co-conspirators keep the soundscape sharp, pushing unexpected musical directions while retaining Direen's signature blend of garrulity and lyricism.
Critics and fans alike are hailing Neverlasting as one of the strongest entries in Direen’s sprawling discography—“outliers with a heap of psychic adventures, commentary with a bite,” as one review puts it. Its release is accompanied by a New Zealand tour and a special edition of the album bundled with a booklet of photographs and writings by Direen, further testament to the work’s multifaceted artistry. Each song’s blend of introspection and critique matches a restlessness emblematic of Bilders itself—a band never content to repeat itself, and always committed to making new worlds out of sound and word. Those seeking literate, inventive, and quietly defiant music will find Neverlasting a compelling chapter in the ongoing saga of one of Aotearoa’s most idiosyncratic voices.
