Avalanche City Explained

Avalanche City
Landscape:yes
Birth Name:Dave Baxter
Birth Place:Auckland, New Zealand
Origin:Auckland, New Zealand
Genre:Indie folk
Instrument:Vocals, guitar
Occupation:Musician
Years Active:2009–present

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

Early life

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).

2011–2014 Our New Life Above the Ground

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.

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.

2015–2018 We are for the Wild Places

See main article: We are for the Wild Places. 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

"My Babylon" was released on February 22, 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.

2024-Present Return from Hiatus

In 2024, Dave returned to music with the release of his single "Keep That Love" on May 24, 2024, along with the promise of at least one more single in the near future.

Discography

Artist:Avalanche City
Studio:3
Music Videos:9
Ep:1
Singles:8

Studio albums

TitleAlbum detailsPeak positionsCertifications
NZ
[4]
AUS
[5]
Our New Life Above the Ground
  • Released: 4 April 2011
  • Label: Warner Music
  • Formats: CD, digital download
4 97
We are for the Wild Places
  • Released: 3 July 2015
  • Label: Warner Music
  • Formats: CD, vinyl, digital download
3
My Babylon
  • Released: 22 February 2019
  • Label: The Guacamole Farm
  • Formats: CD, vinyl, digital download
27
[6]
"—" denotes releases that were not released or did not chart in that region.

Singles

TitleYearPeak positionsCertificationsAlbum
NZ
[7]
AUS
[8]
"Love Love Love"20111 49
  • RMNZ: 2× Platinum[9]
Our New Life Above the Ground
"Ends in the Ocean"
"You and I"
"Sunset"2012
"Inside Out"20151 We Are for the Wild Places
"Keep Finding a Way"
"Prayed for Love"2018My Babylon
"My Babylon"2019
"Keep That Love"2024
"—" denotes releases that were not released or did not chart in that region.

Notes

Music videos

TitleDirector(s)YearRef.
"Love Love Love"Josh Smith2011[11]
"Ends in the Ocean"Jefferton James2011[12]
"You and I"Jefferton James2011[13]
"Sunset"Kyle Eaton2012[14]
"Inside Out"Chris Lane2015[15]
"Keep Finding a Way"Josh Smith2015[16]
"Little Fire"Chris Lane2016[17]
"Prayed for Love"Mark Fruish2018[18]
"My Babylon"Mark Fruish2019[19]

Awards and nominations

Year Organisation Nominated Work Award !Result
2011 "Love, Love, Love" Silver Scroll Award
"Love, Love, Love"
Our New Life Above Ground
Avalanche City
2012 "Love, Love, Love" Most Performed Work in New Zealand
2015 "Inside Out"

Notes and References

  1. Web site: AVALANCHE CITY – Inside Out (SONG). charts.nz. 22 September 2015.
  2. New Zealand. single. 4141. 14 September 2015.
  3. Web site: Stuff.co.nz – Avalanche City to tour all the wild places. 26 August 2015. Stuff.co.nz. 22 September 2015.
  4. Web site: charts.nz – New Zealand charts portal . charts.nz . 21 April 2011 .
  5. Web site: Chartifacts – Week Commencing: 26th September 2011 . . 26 September 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110820180357/http://www.ariacharts.com.au/pages/chartifacts.htm . 20 August 2011 . 2 October 2011 . dead.
  6. Web site: NZ Top 40 Albums Chart. Recorded Music NZ. 4 March 2019. 1 March 2019.
  7. Web site: charts.nz – New Zealand charts portal . charts.nz . 20 April 2011 .
  8. Web site: Chartifacts – Week Commencing: 8th August 2011 . 8 August 2011 . . https://web.archive.org/web/20110820180357/http://www.ariacharts.com.au/pages/chartifacts.htm . 20 August 2011 . 11 August 2011 . dead .
  9. Web site: New Zealand Single Certifications. Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. 20 September 2015.
  10. New Zealand. single. 4141. 14 September 2015.
  11. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWzzbuJJYQc Love Love Love on YouTube
  12. Web site: Ends in the Ocean on YouTube . Youtube.com . 18 April 2011 . 26 July 2011.
  13. live . https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/ObfoJfYI7jY . 2021-12-11. Avalanche City - You And I (Official Version) . YouTube.
  14. live . https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/Dpdbjg2yed0 . 2021-12-11. Avalanche City - Sunset [Official Video] ]. YouTube.
  15. live . https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/B7GJutYRxi4 . 2021-12-11. Avalanche City - Inside Out (Official Music Video) . YouTube.
  16. Web site: Keep Finding a Way YouTube . Youtube.com . 29 October 2015 . 29 October 2015.
  17. Web site: Little Fire YouTube . Youtube.com . 9 November 2016 . 9 November 2016.
  18. Web site: Prayed for Love YouTube . Youtube.com . 22 November 2018 . 27 February 2019.
  19. Web site: My Babylon YouTube . Youtube.com . 17 January 2019 . 27 February 2019.