Good Laika release their debut album Heads I Win, Tails You Lose at Wellington's Mighty Mighty on Thursday 30 August 2007.Good Laika release their debut album Heads I Win, Tails You Lose at Wellington's Mighty Mighty on Thursday 30 August 2007.In the past, the Wellington band has created much but shared little. Their infectious and soulful songs have developed in secret backrooms, and their live performances - though well-received - can be counted on one hand (even one with a few fingers missing). This is all about to change, with the release of their debut album Heads I Win, Tails You Lose.

While the groundwork for the album was a five-year process, Heads I Win, Tails You Lose was recorded over a period of only three days by Nic McGowan at Island Bay Studios.

The band wanted to capture the idyllic atmosphere of their practice sessions at Waitarere beach, and chose to record the album together in one room, almost entirely without overdubbing. As a result, the album imparts a feeling of warmth but one that is tinged with melancholy.

This mood is in keeping with the band's name. Laika, the first dog in space and Russian national hero had her suspicions when the men with beards and fluffy hats started dressing her up in a spacesuit, but she adored the attention. Like the ill-fated canine, Good Laika the band invokes pictures of bitter irony, grim humour and passionate ambition.

Each of the members of Good Laika have had successful musical careers with other bands. Robin Hinkley fronted Bleakhouse, which, bereft of any literary credentials, was in fact named after an interesting sounding but otherwise non-descript Auckland road; accomplished actor and raconteur Jason Fa'afoi played guitar in The Stereo Bus, who met critical acclaim during the late 90s; multi-instrumentalist Matthew Armitage lent his guitar playing skill to garage-funk outfit Odessa; Ricky Boyd kept time for the Accelerants and led the notorious '50s rock 'n' rhythm Boom Shack sessions; and Nic Marshall played with arts festival stalwarts, musical collective Verona.

22/8/07