New Zealand band Office Dog, signed to the legendary Flying Nun label in the southern hemisphere and with genetic roots to that mecca of indie music, Dunedin, are causing a lot of justified excitement. Having expanded their horizons by signing to northern hemisphere label New West Records and on the eve of the northern hemisphere release of their debut album ‘Spiel’, they have unveiled a new single and video for the track ‘The Crater’.
While we have kept wraps on our review of the album pending the release of ‘Spiel on 26 January 2024 in the north, ‘The Crater’ is the third single release from what I can disclose is a very exciting album. Earlier singles ‘Big Air’ and ‘Gleam’ provided an exciting taster of what is to come, and ‘The Crater’ confirms that these were no sonic accidents.
There is a laconic air to the track, edged by sparkling chiming guitars that, combined, recall elements of Dinosaur Jnr or the extraordinary musical forebears that came out of Dunedin: The Chills, The Clean and The Bats. The Flying Nun genius gene is firmly embedded in this band. The delivery is underlined with a scuzzy fuzz and a percussion that pounds like the waves rolling in from the Antarctic, but infused with a dreamy warmth.
There is a wry romantic wit to the lyrics:
I swing
Swing all day
Test my chain
‘Til it breaks
And I land in a well
With the only love I’ve felt
The accompanying video is a sun-bleached performance that augments the languid pace and blissed out feel of the track. The stunning film was directed by Sophie Black and was made with the support of New Zealand On Air. Enigmatic singer and guitarist Kane Strang says of the video:
We met there on about 4 hours sleep and trekked all of our gear up into the hills. The funny part is, it is actually an incredibly popular tourist attraction, so as soon as the sun was up, there were bus loads of people rolling through only to find a band playing the same song over and over in the middle of nowhere. In fact, behind almost every shot there was most likely about ten people walking past and taking photos of us.
The result is an immersive slice of sunshine:
‘The Crater’ is out today and ‘Spiel’ is available in the northern hemisphere from 26 January 2024 through the link below and here. Antipodean readers can get the album here.
Amidst a busy solo career with acclaimed releases via Flying Nun Records and Dead Oceans, Kane Strang formed Office Dog at the end of 2021. After moving from his hometown of Dunedin to Auckland, Kane sought a more collaborative approach with drummer Mitchell Innes and bassist Rassani Tolovaa. Moving between Mitchell’s shed, Rassani & Kane’s residence, and the basement of a nearby church, the trio began writing together. Over the next year, fragments began assembling into songs, ultimately culminating in the creation of their debut album, ‘Spiel’.
Feature Photograph: Zac Whiteside
