Avalanche City is the stage name of indie folk musician Dave Baxter from Auckland, New Zealand. He is best known for his 2011 New Zealand No. 1 single "Love, Love, Love" and his 2015 single "Inside Out", which also charted at No. 1. In 2011, Dave Baxter was awarded the APRA Silver Scroll and nominated for three New Zealand Music Awards, including Breakthrough Artist of the Year, Song of the Year and Album of the Year.
History
Early life Baxter began playing guitar at age nine and during his teens he performed in the bands One Must Fall and The Chase. He studied at Waikato Institute of Technology in Hamilton, graduating in 2005 with a Bachelor of Media Arts (Commercial Music).
2011–2014 Our New Life Above the Ground In late 2009 Baxter left his job as a music writer and began recording bands in his own studio. He also began to write songs, practice singing, and create his own melodies. After performing his songs for friends, Baxter started Avalanche City and began touring with other musicians. He eventually decided to record the album Our New Life Above the Ground at Kourawhero Hall and offered it as a free download from Avalanche City's official website. Initial response to the album was extremely positive and the song "Love, Love, Love" was picked up by the local New Zealand TV station TV2 TV2 for their station promos. After this point the song placed on the New Zealand singles chart.
The album Our New Life Above the Ground was then re-released and sold well, placing number 4 on the official national albums chart and achieving gold status.
2015–2018 We are for the Wild Places
After 4 years since the release of the Baxter's record breaking debut single Love Love Love, he released his highly anticipated new album, We are for the Wild Places in July 2015. The album's first single Inside Out was very popular and quickly reached number one on the Official New Zealand Music Chart and was certified Platinum. The album itself was placed no 3 on the Official Top 40 Albums Chart. The second official single from the album, Keep Finding A Way has been released to radio late August.
2019–2023 My Babylon "My Babylon" was released on 22 February 2019, featuring nine new tracks available on streaming platforms, digital download, vinyl, and CD. Among the most popular tracks were "Prayed for Love," "Whispers," and the title track, "My Babylon." Following the release, Dave took an extended break from music for nearly five years. In a 2024 video blog on YouTube titled "Why I Quit Music, And Why I'm Coming Back," he detailed his reasons for the hiatus, primarily citing burnout. At the time, he was uncertain if or when he would return to Avalanche City.
2024 – present Return from Hiatus In 2024, Dave returned to music with the release of his single "Keep That Love" on 24 May 2024, along with the promise of at least one more single in the near future.
In January 2025, Baxter headlined Festival One, a festival in Karapiro, New Zealand.
Discography
Studio albums Title Album details Peak positions Certifications NZ AUS Our New Life Above the Ground Released: 4 April 2011 Label: Warner Music Formats: CD, digital download 4 97 RMNZ: Gold We are for the Wild Places Released: 3 July 2015 Label: Warner Music Formats: CD, vinyl, digital download 3 — My Babylon Released: 22 February 2019 Label: The Guacamole Farm Formats: CD, vinyl, digital download 27 — "—" denotes releases that were not released or did not chart in that region.
Extended plays Title Album details Snow Released: 4 April 2011 Label: Warner Music Formats: CD, digital download
Singles Title Year Peak positions Certifications Album NZ AUS "Love Love Love" 2011 1 49 RMNZ: 2× Platinum Our New Life Above the Ground "Ends in the Ocean" — — "You and I" — — "Sunset" 2012 — — "Inside Out"2015 1 — RMNZ: PlatinumWe are for the Wild Places "Keep Finding a Way" — — "Prayed for Love" 2018 — —My Babylon "My Babylon" 2019 — — "Keep That Love" 2024 — — "—" denotes releases that were not released or did not chart in that region.
Notes
Music videos
Title Director(s) Year Ref. "Love Love Love" Josh Smith 2011 Love Love Love on YouTube "Ends in the Ocean" Jefferton James 2011 "You and I" Jefferton James 2011 "Sunset" Kyle Eaton 2012 "Inside Out" Chris Lane 2015 "Keep Finding a Way" Josh Smith 2015 "Little Fire" Chris Lane 2016 "Prayed for Love" Mark Fruish 2018 "My Babylon" Mark Fruish 2019
Awards and nominations Year Organisation Nominated work Award Result 2011 APRA Silver Scroll Awards "Love, Love, Love" Silver Scroll Award New Zealand Music Awards "Love, Love, Love" Single of the Year Our New Life Above Ground Album of the Year Avalanche City Breakthrough Artist of the Year 2012 APRA Silver Scroll Awards "Love, Love, Love" Most Performed Work in New Zealand 2015 New Zealand Music Awards "Inside Out" Single of the Year
References