Greta O’Leary has spent the past few years building a world of her own. On “Year of the Dog”, she opens the gate and lets it run wild.
The new single marks a noticeable shift from the atmosphere of O’Leary’s well-received debut album River Dark, which dropped last year.
Where that record often moved at a careful, reflective pace, “Year of the Dog” charges forward, a bright guitar riff leading the way. Everything feels loose, warm, and full of movement.
The song carries an almost summer-like energy, despite arriving in winter. The real anchor is O’Leary’s voice, which slices through the mix with confidence, bringing shape and character to every turn.
O’Leary describes the song in vivid terms.
“Year of the Dog’ is animal spirit, it’s racing forwards and upwards, fast and free. It’s renewal,” she explains.
Created alongside longtime collaborator Jol Mulholland at LAB Studios, Mulholland co-produced the single with O’Leary, while Emily Wheatcroft-Snape handled mastering duties.
Love Music?
Get your daily dose of everything happening in Australian/New Zealand music and globally.
The release follows a breakthrough year for the Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland artist. River Dark landed in the Top 10 of the Aotearoa Albums Chart and earned strong support across student radio and alternative radio. The album established O’Leary as one of the country’s most distinctive emerging songwriters, blending folk, surrealism, and sharp-eyed storytelling into a sound that feels entirely her own.
The song arrives alongside a music video directed by O’Leary and frequent collaborator Adam Rohe. Filmed in Victoria’s gold-rush country, the hazy visual matches the song’s restless energy. Watch below.
O’Leary has kept busy since the release of River Dark. In 2025 she received an APRA Artist Mentoring Programme Award, which led to collaborations with producer Tom Healy. She also joined festival lineups around Aotearoa and Australia, performing alongside Vera Ellen at Te Papa’s Rongo Rehutai Summer Music Sessions and opening for blues and folk icon C.W. Stoneking on his New Zealand tour.
O’Leary is taking “Year of the Dog” on the road this month with a run on intimate shows. The short tour heads to Lyttelton Coffee Company this Friday, June 19th, followed by a visit to Dunedin’s Pearl Diver the following day, before culminating with a hometown show at Auckland’s Public Bar on Wednesday, August 19th.
Greta O’Leary’s “Year of the Dog” is out now.
