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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

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

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 and was certified Platinum. 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.

2019–2023 My Babylon

"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.

2024 – present Return from Hiatus

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.

Discography

Studio albums

Extended plays

Singles

Notes

1. "Prayed for Love" did not enter the NZ Top 40 Singles Chart, but peaked at number 15 on the NZ Hot Singles Chart.

Music videos

Awards and nominations

References

1. "AVALANCHE CITY – Inside Out (SONG)". charts.nz. Retrieved 22 September 2015.
2. "New Zealand single certifications". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
3. "Stuff.co.nz – Avalanche City to tour all the wild places". Stuff.co.nz. 26 August 2015. Retrieved 22 September 2015.
4. "charts.nz – New Zealand charts portal". charts.nz. Retrieved 21 April 2011.
5. "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.
6. "NZ Top 40 Albums Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 4 March 2019. Retrieved 1 March 2019.
7. "charts.nz – New Zealand charts portal". charts.nz. Retrieved 20 April 2011.
8. "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.
9. "New Zealand Single Certifications". Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
10. "New Zealand single certifications". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
11. "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 17 December 2018. Retrieved 14 December 2018.
12. Love Love Love on YouTube
13. "Ends in the Ocean on YouTube". Youtube.com. 18 April 2011. Retrieved 26 July 2011.
14. Avalanche City - You And I (Official Version). YouTube. Archived from the original on 11 December 2021.
15. Avalanche City - Sunset [Official Video]. YouTube. Archived from the original on 11 December 2021.
16. Avalanche City - Inside Out (Official Music Video). YouTube. Archived from the original on 11 December 2021.
17. "Keep Finding a Way YouTube". Youtube.com. 29 October 2015. Retrieved 29 October 2015.
18. "Little Fire YouTube". Youtube.com. 9 November 2016. Retrieved 9 November 2016.
19. "Prayed for Love YouTube". Youtube.com. 22 November 2018. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
20. "My Babylon YouTube". Youtube.com. 17 January 2019. Retrieved 27 February 2019.

• APRA Award winners
• New Zealand pop music groups