New Music - The Black Seeds return to their roots with new single 'Compassion' - 21st November 2025
Artist Name - The Black Seeds
Release Name - Compassion
Release Date - 21st November 2025
Genre - Reggae, Funk, Soul Music
Label - DRM
The Black Seeds return to the fold with their quintessential Aotearoa sound, and conscious roots ethos, on their new single, ‘Compassion’.
A heavy and unapologetic nugget of conscious roots. ‘Compassion’ is the first new music from Te Wanganui-a-Tara legends in two years and reaffirms that The Black Seeds are still at the forefront of original roots, reggae and dub in Aotearoa.
Mixed and engineered by Dr Lee Prebble and mastered by Mike Gibson, ‘Compassion’ has a powerful rhythm section, steeped in the foundations of classic dub; laying the bedrock for co-founder Daniel Weetman’s vocals to soar.
With lyrics straight to the point – honest, bold, and courageous; reinforced by a memorable horn line, the new single marks a welcome return to The Black Seeds’ distinctive sound and philosophy.
Our bass player, Francis Harawira, created the bassline whilst participating in the Toitū Te Tiriti / Treaty Principles Bill Hikoi channelling the feeling of the time of Kotahitanga or unity/solidarity.
“The bass line really clicked with the band while we were in Wellington for a demo session. It just had the right feel from the start,” says Weetman.
“After a quick listen, I decided to give it another go and started working on the verses. The band was into it, and with that bit of encouragement and direction, taking inspiration from us all being together, the song finally started to take shape.”
Lyrically, ‘Compassion’ hits hard. “With growing division in the world, it feels like a scary time for all of us to be living. I wanted to write something about unity and love, because I believe that’s what we naturally turn toward in times like these. When those in power try to spread division through fear, it’s easy to lose sight of everything we share: our common humanity and compassion for one another,” says Weetman.
Accompanying the single is a dramatic and powerful lyric video directed and animated by Jeremy London @method.visual.nz with D.O.P Talia Chong - Hamlin and artworks by the bands own Barnaby Weir.
‘Compassion’ marks a new chapter for The Black Seeds, who last year released their classic album ON THE SUN on vinyl for the first time ever. It came after the 2022 release of the band’s seventh studio album LOVE & FIRE, which hit #16 on the Official NZ Album Chart. The album was also a finalist for Te Kaipuoro Taketake Toa / Best Roots Artist at the 2022 Aotearoa Music Awards.
Catch The Black Seeds live this summer:
Saturday December 6th – The Spectacle, Nelson – Free festival info HERE
Monday, December 29th – Matakanarama festival, Matakana - Tickets
Wednesday December 31st – Rhythm and Alps, Christchurch - Tickets
Saturday January 3rd 2026 – The Coro Classic 2026, Whitianga - Tickets
Saturday January 24th 2026 – The Valley festival, Queenstown - Tickets
Saturday January 31st 2026 – Manfeild Live, Feilding - Tickets
Thursday February 5th 2026 – UB40 feat. Ali Campbell, Whangarei - Tickets
Friday February 6th 2026 – UB40 feat. Ali Campbell, Napier - Tickets
Saturday February 7th 2026 - UB40 feat. Ali Campbell, Tauranga - Tickets
Thursday February 12th 2026 - UB40 feat. Ali Campbell, Wellington - Tickets
Friday February 13th 2026 - UB40 feat. Ali Campbell, Auckland - Tickets
Saturday February 14th 2026 - UB40 feat. Ali Campbell, New Plymouth - Tickets
Saturday March 14th 2026 - Jim Beam Homegrown Festival 2026, Hamilton - Tickets
Saturday March 21st 2026 – SYNTHONY Festival, Auckland Domain, Auckland - Tickets