(Credits: Far Out / Zac Whiteside)
THE SKINNY: Office Dog knew precisely what they needed to do on Spiel. They needed to play with gentle and darkish, creating atmospheric home windows of highs and lows. Either as a testomony to their dedication to that or their failure to attain it, they accomplish gentle and darkish in each sense. There are flashes of brilliance interspersed between indie-rock fluff, which leaves you wanting extra from this extremely irritating debut.
Every member of the Auckland trio, made up of Kane Strang on vocals and guitar, Mitchell Innes on drums, and Rassani Tolovaa on bass, is clearly able to creating a definite temper befitting one of the best of indie, however on Spiel, that temper simply noodles off to nowhere. After shuffling between Innes’ shed and the basement of a church, they began forming the document. Upheaval and belonging are domineering themes, with Strang, specifically, seemingly trying to find one thing concrete after shifting always between Auckland and Dunedin.
Car journeys between cities have been the backdrop for lyric writing, which is critical as a result of the themes explored within the lyrics appear to command the tone of every observe. The band peg the album as “essentially, a record about change and time”, and so entrenched are the concepts about how that needs to be conveyed. You get the sense the general theme was thought up first, and the sound moulded to suit round it.
The result’s a lacklustre effort with glimmers of actual chunk that too usually get misplaced within the countless rehashing of metaphors. The most constant aspect is Innes’ drumming, which offers much-needed cohesion. The tempo can change instantly, and whereas they by no means veer too removed from indie-rock’s subdued sensibilities, after they amp issues up, it’s genuinely joyous. Slightly too slow-moving at instances and completely too preoccupied with imagery – it’s a sufferer of fashion over substance.
Equally, this album feels very poetic. It’s performed with clear intention and highlights the post-punk promise of Office Dog, which is able to little doubt totally materialise with some well-placed restraint.
For followers of: “Taking arty pictures of your knackered trainers.”
A concluding remark from Tom’s mom: “Well meaning lads with dashing bowl cuts, but some moments felt like tinfoil on a filling.”
Spiel observe by observe:
Release Date: 26 January | Producer: De Stevens | Label: New West Records
‘Shade’: What begins as a subdued opener offers technique to the fantastic fuzz of guitar, gritty and never too prettied by manufacturing. But the overwrought outro weakens it as a result of the vocals really feel secondary, almost like they’re racing to catch up. As poetic because the lyrics concerning the gentle are, there’s solely so lengthy you may stretch out the phrase “shade”. [2.5/5]
‘Antidote’: A reflective, melancholic tune that touches on craving for higher instances. It’s deeply atmospheric and buoyed completely by Innes’ drumming, which offers lovely flecks of house by way of the observe. Two songs in, and the intention is fairly clear: create moments of sunshine and darkish. [3/5]
‘Gleam’: A really abrupt shift in tone, way more power and attack proper out the gate. There are moments of aptitude with the guitar, which appears like the principle characteristic of this observe. Everything sounds crisp and resolute, which makes it a completely convincing second of positivity. [3.5/4]
‘Warmer’: Taking cues from its title, ‘Warmer’ feels one way or the other bathed in additional gentle. It doesn’t provide the identical emotional reprieve because the earlier observe however is touched by a definite lightness. The vocals are like a pointy whisper, ultimately building right into a extra full-bodied cry. At this level, the continuous restraint from Strang feels irritating. [3/5]
‘Big Air’: In one other second of sonic whiplash, naturally that is the tune the place the vocals are being correctly showcased. They’re decrease and extra conversational, which works with the confessional lyrics: “I can’t feel nobody else / I can’t feel no pain.” It is well essentially the most gratifying with out abandoning the temper that shapes the document. [4/5]
‘Tightropes’: Would have been a triumphant instrumental. There are temporary Eastern inflexions mixed with the usual concern fuzz of indie rock. Still, the spoken phrase vocals don’t work with the class of their backing as a result of they’re a jarring mixture of robotic and barely screechy. [2/5]
‘In the Red’: A grungier providing that places the shimmering guitar entrance and centre. The busier moments are the higher ones, and Office Dog are at their peak after they decide to the noise of indie rock, however there’s nonetheless a way it’s not being totally realised but. [3/5]
‘Hand in Hand’: Seemingly essentially the most outwardly romantic observe on the album, which up to now has been so preoccupied with gentle and darkish that it’s devoid of all emotion in favour of that one motif. It feels an odd option to observe up ‘In the Red’. They’re every so related it knocks the wind out of it. [2.5/5]
‘Cut the Ribbon’: At this level, I began to change into involved about my very own stamina as a result of the openings of every observe smacked of the identical indie-ish, faintly post-punk opening. Just earlier than they began to blur into one, ‘Cut the Ribbon’ pulled focus, arriving with jangly guitar and, once more, some sharp drumming from Innes. [4/5]
‘Teeth’: Forgettable, possibly not in its personal proper, however the songs up to now both have both lacked cohesion or felt too acquainted. There’s a heaviness to the observe that means that you can think about a crowd swaying because it’s performed – however it is likely to be depending on its position in a set. Fatigue is beginning to set in. [2/5]
‘The Crater’: Lyrically, the weakest on the document: “I rust / Turn to dust / Stretch my trust / Just enough.” An train in rhyming and making limp metaphors a couple of properly, so the identical fuzzed-out guitar we’ve been handled to the complete document. [1/5]
‘Spiel’: Announced itself with some chunky bass, which had me hopeful, however then “clay” was rhymed with “fray”. And then “bay”. It’s a muted send-off that speaks to the album’s most irritating qualities as a result of the lyric writing turns into a constraint the longer you let it linger. The guitar hardly ever helps you to down, the drumming is beautiful, however Office Dog are so beholden to their naturalistic imagery that they lose themselves in it. The “sorry for the spiel” line appears like a becoming confession they bought that sense, too. [2/5]
