Following the 2010 breakup of ecstatic New Zealand-via-Portland art punks the Mint Chicks, former lead singer Kody Nielson launched Opossom as a vehicle for his solo compositions. While still playing drums in his brother Ruban Nielson's band Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Kody set about writing, producing, performing, and recording an album's worth of new material more darkly moody and lounge-leaning than his former work. During the formation of his new solo endeavor, Nielson was also working as a collaborator with onetime major-label pop star Bic Runga, and when the time came for Opossom to transition from bedroom project to live band, he enlisted Runga as vocalist and multi-instrumentalist. The group's debut LP, Electric Hawaii, was released in 2012. ~ Fred Thomas