The festivities are ramping up for Tauranga band Kokomo which is celebrating its 25th birthday this year.

As a teaser for a two CD retrospective collection coming out in April, the six-piece stalwart of Tauranga's music scene has released its latest single We're All Strangers Here this month.

Tauranga six-piece Kokomo has released its first single of 2016 ‘We're All Strangers Here' this month. Photo: File

It is Kokomo's first release for 2016 and follows on from the band's Christmas single Plastic Jesus which received airplay throughout New Zealand, says frontman Derek Jacombs.

'We're excited about the stuff that's coming up over the next few months, and we're dead chuffed with how this song has worked out.

'For a while now we've been moving to a more modern sound and this really shows off what we're aiming for.”

Recorded at Whakamarama's Boatshed Studio, We're All Strangers Here features the talents of veteran Tauranga musician and tenor saxophonist Robbie Laven.

Derek says the saxophonist has performed a few gigs with Kokomo recently and actually played sax on one of their albums back in the nineties.

'He's such an incredible musician, he continually blows me away. It's just a brief cameo from him here but he'll also be playing with us at Easter,” says Derek.

The accompanying video for the song was created by Derek and Kokomo harmonica player and visual artist Grant Bullot who specific aim in mind.

'People tend to think the song's going to be a bit negative, given the title,” explains Grant, 'but Derek has an unusual perspective and what he wrote is really funny and quite warm.

'So we wanted to use the video to emphasise all the positive things, despite what the song is called.”

The soon-to-be-released retrospective collection will feature songs from throughout Kokomo's 25 year history, from the earthy blues of an acoustic trio in the early nineties to the more modern sounds of today's multi-instrumental six-piece.

Fans will have a chance to get their hands on advance copies of the two-CD collection when the band perform at Baycourt Community and Arts Centre for the Tauranga Jazz Festival this Thursday.

For more information visit Kokomo's website at: www.kokomo.co.nz