Wellington Band Dillon Jo Releases new single, “Drift”

A new single by Wellington four-piece alternative and indie rock band, Dillon Jo was released on Friday. Dillon Jo comprises Wellingtonian artists  Betty Smith and Georgie Levien, with musician, producer and bassist  Kahu Sanson Burnett and Ruadh Munro on drums.

Dillon Jo describe themselves as a mix of alternative rock with dream pop elements. The inspiration behind ‘Drift’ came from a ‘Personal experience’ said Smith. She wrote it on acoustic guitar, and said it’s about the universal experience of losing someone or drifting away from a close friend.

Smith bought it to the band and it became what it is now,.

“When we write songs it’s really centered around the individual,” said Smith.

The band says when they went into the studio session with a guy called Johnny Avery they explained how they wanted Drift to have this lap steel feeling to it, so they used a lap steel guitar, an acoustic guitar, bass, electric guitar and drums, along with vocals. Electronic elements are also found throughout the track.

Smith and Levien have been writing songs together for about two years, and the band, Dillon Jo have been working together for about one and a half years.

Smith met Levien through a reality TV show called “Take The Mic” back in 2022, while they were at University. They really wanted to write together so formed an acoustic duo, then formed a band in mid 2025 after meeting Kahu Sanson Burnett and Ruadh Munro.

The name is a potential “Alter Ego”. When Smith and Levien met, Smith was thinking of starting up her solo project and calling it Dil and Jo. The family story is that she was going to be called Dylan by her mum, but this changed when her mum’s best friend called their son Dylan. She was never named Dylan but thought maybe it was her alter ego?

Their Debut album is out on October 23rd.