How deep is the wellspring of creativity that New Zealand musician Connan Mockasin drinks from? Since first stepping properly onto the international stage close to a decade ago, he’s applied his helium-toned falsetto, imaginative lyrics and unfettered arrangements to lo-fi blues pop, celestial jazz rock and syrupy psychedelic soul with a yacht rock lean. In the process, over two solo albums Forever Dolphin Love and Caramel, collaborations with Norman Cook and Charlotte Gainsbourg, and boundary bending performances worldwide, he’s cultivated himself a cult reputation in open-eared music circles everywhere. With a loose-limbed skinny frame, pale skin, and pristine blonde hair falling to his chin, Connan, once a rock star Peter Pan, has become an increasingly sensual figure. Sauntering his way though videos for ‘I’m The Man, That Will Find You‘ and ‘Do I Make You Feel Shy?‘, he makes it clear that while his music is rooted in the freedom of childhood, he’s all grown up with a wicked sense of humour.

An early 80s baby, Connan grew up in the coastal village of Te Awanga. Raised by nurturing parents, Connan and his two brothers were eagerly encouraged to create art. As relayed during an interview for Rip It Up Magazine in 2010, “…[They] let us turn the whole backyard into a junkyard to encourage what we enjoyed doing.” In his case this was a complimentary mixture of music, D.I.Y amusement park construction, and visual arts. He recorded rudimentary songs from as young as age five, built ramshackle carnival rides, painted, and played guitar obsessively, all to a soundtrack of classic blues, soul and soft rock tunes. After high school Connan worked at vineyards and acted in theatre before relocating to Wellington, New Zealand’s capital. There he formed Grampa Moff, who became lo-fi blues-pop trio Connan And The Mockasins.

With a buzz behind them, they moved to London in 2006, going their separate ways following some disillusioning experiences with the recording industry. Connan returned home to Te Awanga for a spell. In response to gentle nudging from his mother, he gathered up some basic home recording equipment and created Forever Dolphin Love (originally titled Please Turn Me Into The Snat when he self-released it in 2010) before returning to the UK.

Vibrant, shimmering and dreamlike, the unique soundworld was populated by fantasy animals and imaginary friends. Connan articulated this vision through an interzone connecting jangly indie, space jazz and psyche-pop – a pleasing concoction, and one that caught the ears of Erol Alkan’s Phantasy Sound label, leading to an international reissue in 2011. Amplifying the otherworldliness of Forever Dolphin Love with a series of surreal Alejandro Jodorowsky-redolent music videos helmed by directors Sam Handley, Daniel Brereton and Fleur & Manu, Connan began approaching live band shows with a freeform strategy; brief rehearsals bleeding into fresh improvised interpretations. Audiences and music critics either locked in, or felt locked out. In the wake of Forever Dolphin Love Connan shared bills with arena-sized acts like Warpaint and Radiohead. He also befriended Charlotte Gainsbourg, worked on her album Stage Whisper, and began joining her on stages. In amongst this escalation, sale prices for the first Phantasy Sound vinyl editions of Forever Dolphin Love soared on eBay and Discogs.

Two years later, he released Caramel via Phantasy Sound, Because Music and Mexican Summer. Where Forever Dolphin Love was as expansive as a galaxy, Caramel is as intimate as a cold winter night shared with a lover inside a warm room. After returning to Te Awanga in 2013 to visit his father while he was recovering from a heart attack, Connan spent a month creating the work in a Tokyo hotel room with assistance from friends and strangers. As he told The Quietus this year, “…I wanted it to sound like a record called Caramel…”

Inflating slinky 80s RnB with the smooth rock daydreams of Donnie & Joe Emerson, Doug Hream Blunt and Ariel Pink, it interweaves lithe sing-alongs and filmic interludes. Still indebted to the surrealism of his debut, Caramel and its accompanying yacht rock videos rendered his fringe artistry though exaggerated glamour lighting. Watching live YouTube clips of ‘I’m The Man, That Will Find You’, it’s easy to convince yourself you just heard him sing “fuck” instead of “find”. Caramel hit the sweet spot, leading to a US tour alongside Australia’s Kirin J. Callinan.

Casual and unassuming in person, Connan is a great storyteller. As with his songs, it’s sometimes hard to differentiate fantasy from reality. This could be attributed to the extent his imagination was encouraged as a child, or perhaps his understanding of theatre. Regardless, it’s this blurring between the real and the unreal and an instinct-driven writing style that powers his continuing creative vitality. In recent interviews Connan has talked of combining his music with amusement rides, or even venturing into stand-up comedy. Who knows which rabbit hole he’ll lead us down next?

You can catch Connan Mockasin’s Boiler Room debut for our In Stereo series OVER HERE. Big thanks to Martyn Pepperell for the insight.