In Swings the Tide

Background

Songs on the album were inspired by the break-up of a relationship and Moa's father's deteriorating health.

Moa produced the album herself. Mixing of the album was achieved in two weeks, while mastering took one day. "It's been the easiest album I've ever done and the most control I've had over everything", she later said.

Composition

Moa has described the album as "ballady, country, folky pop".

Tour

Moa toured New Zealand to promote In Swings the Tide. She was backed by drummer Nick Gaffney and bassist Chip Matthews on the tour. Folk singer-songwriter Age Pryor opened for her, and Anji Sami, sister of Madeleine Sami, also opened at the Nelson show.

Patrick Stowe from The Nelson Mail gave the gig a positive review, praising Moa's "brutal honesty on stage".

Critical reception

Russell Baillie of The New Zealand Herald rated In Swings the Tide four stars, commending its "level of songcraft here that wasn't always apparent on her earlier work." Nick Bollinger from New Zealand Listener said that "[In Swings the] Tide strikes a balance between the industry-standard pop of Thinking Room...and the introspection of 2005’s Stolen Hill." Taranaki Daily News' Felicity Rookes gave the album a positive review, commenting that "The intimate nature of the folksy tunes show how Moa has grown lyrically". Vicki Anderson of The Press lauded Moa's songwriting skills, noting the "honesty and rawness of expression and emotion" present on the album. She gave it a perfect score of five stars.

Commercial reception

In Swings the Tide debuted on the New Zealand Albums Chart on 15 October 2007 at number eight. The next week it moved up two places to number six, where it peaked. On 9 December 2007 it was certified gold for shipping 7,500 copies, and on 17 February 2008 it received a platinum certification for 15,000 shipments. The album exited the chart in June 2008, but later re-entered the chart thrice, and spent a total of thirty-nine weeks on the albums chart.

Singles

"Dreams in My Head" was released as the first single from the album on 8 October, the same date as the album's release. The song reached number sixteen on the New Zealand Singles Chart, and spent eighteen weeks on the chart. Luke Sharpe directed the accompanying music video.

Track listing

1. "Wise Man Say" – 3:21
2. "Dreams in My Head" – 3:33
3. "Miss Universe" – 2:23
4. "The Blind Woman" – 4:39
5. "In Swings The Tide" – 3:20
6. "My Old Man" – 4:07
7. "Day In, Day Out" – 2:15
8. "Hangin' Around" – 3:24
9. "Standing In This Fire" – 4:29
10. "Honey You'll Be Alright" – 2:34
11. "You're The Light" – 3:45
12. "Thinking About Tomorrow" – 3:55

The Band

Harmonies

String Players