Letting go has led to a cracker album

Eden Mulholland wanted a challenge, and he got it with producer Victor Van Vugt.

He's far from a household name, but Eden Mulholland is one of New Zealand's great music brains - even if he's based in Australia.

He is an award-winning composer who's worked behind the scenes in TV, film, commercials, theatre and dance - on both sides of the Tasman - and has played a key role in bands like The Mots and Motocade.

Mulholland has now released his second solo album, Hunted Haunted, which he describes as his most succinct album to date. But a trip to New York to work with producer Victor Van Vugt, who's behind albums from the likes of Nick Cave, PJ Harvey and Beth Orton, caused him to swing between bouts of anger and "light-bulb" moments of sudden inspiration.

"I'd been looking for someone to work with because I knew I had good songs and I wanted to be challenged to make something I normally wouldn't make," says Mulholland.

"Normally I would've just chucked stuff on there and gone and had some good times and recorded it. And it probably would've been really cool, but I wanted the album to be this complete thing. So I went out on a limb with Victor," he pauses. "And it was challenging."

Mulholland struggled with letting go. "I'm sitting there in this studio in New York and half of me is going 'Oh f***, what the f*** am I doing here? This is bullshit. I don't believe anything he's saying. You know, just that little baby side of me going, 'This is mine. Don't touch it'."

"Then I would go home and think, 'No this is why you're here; you're here to be challenged."

Mulholland chuckles at the suggestion he's a control freak and concedes he'd probably spent far too long thinking he could do everything on his own. "I don't think it's necessarily that healthy all the time. Working with others definitely sparks different ideas and it definitely did with this album."

For those familiar with Mulholland's debut Feed The Beast, his journey with Van Vugt may not be reflected on first listen. Instead you hear his familiar vocals and those catchy-as pop hooks he's so skilled at writing. But dig a little deeper and you'll hear more restraint.

"Victor was all about having a plain beat as opposed to a manic beat, which is how I used to approach things. If you have a groove-oriented song, the melody can breathe more. I appreciate that now," he smiles. It's a realisation that's made for a cracking album.

Eden Mulholland's Hunted Haunted is out now.