In real life: Avalanche City's Dave Baxter “really didn't like” being famous

“I felt incredibly uncomfortable. People were constantly staring at me and you could hear people whispering – I could always hear someone. You can tell when people are talking about you and I just felt very uncomfortable.”

“I’m generally quite shy about being in the spotlight – it’s not my nature. [state] and I don't feel great when a light shines on me.”

Since that first taste of fame, Baxter has released two more albums in Avalanche City’s signature indie folk style – We are for the wilderness and 2019 My Babylon.

The latter came amid a high-profile legal battle with Baxter's former manager, who a court later found had stolen $300,000 in royalties from him. The betrayal was a painful experience for Baxter.

“I must have written 20 songs about it and thought to myself, 'This is your personal therapy, not for public harassment.' I think I only put two of those songs on the album. I thought two would be enough for people, it doesn't have to be all fear.

“But the song Prayed for love, it felt to me like I had said what I wanted to say and then I felt ready to move on. But ironically after that I took a huge five-year break and didn't publish anything.

“It's like I'm writing this song, taking a deep breath, sitting down in a chair and just resting for a minute.”

Over the past five years, Baxter has toured Europe, had plans for another tour that was interrupted because of Covid, and had two children – the sum of the hardships that left him, in his own words, “exhausted.”

But now, after such a long absence from the studio, Avalanche City is back with two new singles, Keep this love And Berlin wall.

Baxter says he is grateful that his music is still in demand.

“To have such a big gap and still be able to do interviews and stuff – it’s amazing that people still care,” said Baxter Real Life.

“I came back [to social media] and posted little studio clips. That was the easiest way for me to get back on my feet and get back into the swing of releasing music. And people loved it.

“It was good and I was surprised that there were still people saying, 'Please write more.'”

Baxter says the only reason he still makes music is so people can connect with it.

Avalanche City has more new music in the works and will play his first New Zealand show in five years at the Winter Vibes Festival in Wellington on August 31, before two more shows alongside friend and fellow musician Luke Thompson in Auckland and Tauranga in October.