OFFICE DOG L-R: RASSANI TOLOVAA, KANE STRANG, MITCHELL INNES — PHOTO BY VIOLET HIRST
The Auckland-based alt-rock trio (led by Kane Strang on guitar/vocals alongside Rassani Tolovaa on bass and Mitchell Innes on drums) assemble intricate musical collages, fearlessly exploring the depth of complex emotion through layers of tension, release, and celestial lyricism.
After a string of successful independently released singles, Office Dog announce their long-awaited debut album Spiel — arriving September 15 2023 via Flying Nun Records, on black vinyl, limited edition clear vinyl, CD and across all digital platforms. The album was recorded at Roundhead Studios with talented producer De Stevens (School Fair, Marlin's Dreaming) and mastered by Jonathan Pearce (The Beths).
PRE-ORDER SPIEL ON LP & CD HERE
PRE-SAVE SPIEL HERE
Today, the band have also released a new single from the record — ‘Hand in Hand’. The song showcases each member’s musical brilliance and lyrical finesse, weaving angular melodic lines into a guitar-fuzz tapestry through tense sonic structures, which fluently collapse into its grand climax.
“‘Hand in Hand’ is a song about feeling completely fragmented and trying to put yourself back together again with the help of those around you.” Kane Strang says about the track. “Instrumentally it was by far the hardest one for us to work out and we only really finished writing it the day before we started recording Spiel, while De was with us in our practice space. Now I think it's become one of our favourites on the album.”
LISTEN TO ‘HAND IN HAND’ HERE
PHOTO BY VIOLET HIRST
Office Dog formed at the end of 2021. Amidst a busy solo career, Kane Strang sought a new musical outlet, this time desiring a more collaborative approach. Strang reached out to drummer Mitchell Innes, who played in his live band on his 2021 tour, as well as in the live bands of Violet Hirst, Vanessa Worm and Juno Is, to embark on the new project together. Innes had just moved to Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland, and the two of them had their first jam at the back of a barbershop in Parnell. Rassani Tolovaa (Fazed On A Pony, Juno Is), who played in Kane’s band from 2015-2018, was still residing in Ōtepoti, but with some gentle convincing, joined the others up north. Moving between Mitchell’s shed in Ponsonby, Rassani and Kane’s place in Manurewa and the basement of a church across from the Powerstation, the trio began writing together. Over the next year, fragments began assembling into songs, ultimately culminating in the creation of Office Dog’s debut album, Spiel.
Prior to the band’s current composition, guitarist and vocalist Kane Strang found himself constantly shifting between Auckland and Dunedin due to a series of significant personal events. These emotional upheavals pivoted the original direction of the musical project, Office Dog, transforming it from a lighthearted endeavour into something deeper. For Kane, Office Dog became somewhat of “a ladder out of a pretty rough spot”. The long car journeys between cities became a blank page for the songs’ lyrical content, which journal the interplay between light and darkness and reflect his emotional passage.
ALBUM ARTWORK BY DANIEL BLACKBALL ALEXANDER
“Sorry for the spiel” — Office Dog’s debut album serves an introspective on profound experiences, turmoil and hopeful prospect, inviting you to unveil these themes layer by layer through the trio’s musical catharsis. The album is out September 15 2023 on CD, black vinyl LP, limited clear vinyl LP and across all digital streaming platforms via Flying Nun Records.
The band will be performing their first ever headline show at Whammy Bar in Auckland on July 8th to celebrate the announcement, with support from Violet Hirst and K M T P. Tickets are available here via Undertheradar.
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