Riverhead is the debut studio album of New Zealand band Goldenhorse,released in October 2002.[4] Three versions were released of this album;the original in 2002,a limited edition 2-CD version in 2003,[5] and a new edition released in 2004. The 2004 version was released to celebrate a year on the album chart and achieve triple platinum sales.[6]
Riverhead was a sleeper hit,debuting in 2002 and eventually peaking at number 1 on New Zealand's RIANZ charts in 2004. It has sold over 49,000 copies,being certified Platinum three times.
Riverhead was largely recorded at a home studio in the rural settlement of Waiatarua,located in the Waitākere Ranges,without a label and on a low budget[4][1] Morrell received limited funding from her mother,and the group had used its local connections loan equipment from Tim Finn and Neil Finn.[4][8]
Band member and producer Geoff Maddock said in 2012 that the recording location and its tendency to be "enveloped in mist" influenced the album's sound.[4] Other influences included drummer Joel Wilton's desire to experiment with various metrical rhythms as well as Maddock's parents,whose interest in classical music inspired him to incorporate instruments such as the cello on the album.[4]
The subsequent success of the album lead to Goldenhorse signing on with Siren Records.[4]
Reception
Riverhead was a slow burner upon release,debuting at 43,and shifting around the music charts for some two years before finally peaking at number 1 in 2004.[9][10][11] The single "Maybe Tomorrow" became the most played local song on New Zealand radio for 2002/2003.[12] The album was a commercial success and went triple platinum.[6]
Russell Baillie of The New Zealand Herald praised the album and gave it 5 stars,describing it as a "clever debut album" and "a summer pop classic in the making",comparing elements to Sugarcubes and Catatonia,but writing "they sound like a band who have worked way past their influences".[13]
In a retrospective piece,The Spinoff ranked Riverhead among the "greatest New Zealand albums of all time".[9] Nick Bollinger featured the album in his book,100 Essential Albums,describing the album as "complex,intriguing,and original" and arguing that it produced hits which "remain embedded in the country's consciousness".[14]
Track listing
Track listing adapted from Spotify.[15] All tracks are written by Goldenhorse.[1]
1 2 3 4 5 Riverhead (CD liner notes). Goldenhorse. New Zealand: Siren Records. 2002. CDSRN9001/543302 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) Retrieved 15 December 2022 from Discogs.
1 2 Riverhead (CD liner notes). Goldenhorse. New Zealand: Siren Records. 2003. 5846520.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) Retrieved 15 December 2022 from Discogs.
1 2 "Golden moves". Stuff. Sunday News. 18 February 2009. Retrieved 20 May 2025– via Stuff.
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