Office Dog will release a new EP just before the beginning of their first-ever North American tour.
Titled Doggerland, the seven-strong EP will arrive on September 20th, and is said to mark “a shift for the band,” finding them leaning into “softer textures and more experimental songwriting.”
Of the EP title, Kane Strang explains, “Doggerland is the name of a place in the northern hemisphere that was once inhabited by people and then completely submerged by the sea.
“Since themes of water, surfacing, and things like that were naturally appearing in my lyrics as we worked on these songs in late 2023, we named the EP after it.”
As Strang adds, choosing this word for the title “not only hints at the lyrical themes this time around but also at how these tracks are different sonically from [2023 album] Spiel and other songs we’ve done – they’re definitely softer, more fluid, and spontaneous.”
Arriving alongside today’s announcement is “Intact,” the EP’s first single, which Strang wrote just after Office Dog’s 2023 album, Spiel, came out.
“It was a time where it felt like a lot of different things were finally falling into place and this is definitely why it has a more uplifting feel to it than the songs on our first album,” he explains.
“Like the rest of Doggerland, when it came to recording the song, we tried to experiment with making things more textural, but still not stray too far from the live sounds of the band.”
You can watch the accompanying music video below, which the band made with assistance from several close friends in Dunedin, including director Daniel Blackball.
Spiel made it to #23 on Rolling Stone AU/NZ‘s Best New Zealand Albums of 2023 list.
“Kane Strang was a firm favourite among an entire generation of Kiwi indie kids due to his thoughtful garage-pop gems, and his new musical output as leader of Office Dog is just as excellent,” we praised.
“The tracks on Spiel are introspective indie backed by rugged rhythms and precise layers that demand frequent listens, Strang and his collaborators showing themselves to be a formidable proposition as a trio. New solo Strang material would be welcomed by anyone, but Office Dog is a fitting vessel for his songwriting talent if that never comes.”
Read our recent interview with Strang about his solo music and life in Office Dog here.
Office Dog’s “Intact” is out now. Doggerland EP is out September 20th via Flying Nun (NZ) / New West Records (ROW) (pre-save/pre-order here).
