‘Divebomber,’ the first track to be taken from Neil Finn’s third solo album, evokes a sensation of sharp ascent, of giddy height, the free‐fall thrill. It’s a theme that crept up on Finn when he started experimenting with images and sounds for what eventually became the album Dizzy Heights.
With wife Sharon (bass) and sons Liam (guitar) and Elroy (drums), Finn travelled in two bursts to producer Dave Fridmann’s Tarbox Road studio in upstate New York, to record songs composed at his Auckland studio, Roundhead.
With Fridmann (Mercury Rev, The Flaming Lips), and with contributions from New Zealand musician SJD, and wonderful string arrangements by Victoria Kelly, Finn has assembled a textured, heady sound, furnished and elevated by woozy strings and soaring vocals.