Office Dog - “Gleam"

SXSW 2024 - OEB Score: 8; Popularity Index: 4

Pairs Well With…Car Seat Headrest, Yuck, Slaughter Beach, Dog

Fuzzy and dense, but also breezy and warm, Office Dog find a comfortable zone on their debut record Spiel while still pulling from heavy, grunge and garage influences. They tend to draw out their phrases with shoegaze-like reverb, bordering on slowcore before kicking into a pounding drive. To sound so crunchy without drawing any parallels to punk forms feels unique and Office Dog strike that chord through Spiel’s consistent album tracks. There are threads to classic indie rock however, both in its flirting with power pop and throwback slacker angst. While a new band since 2023, New Zealand psych rock purveyors will recognize frontman Kane Strang and his trio of records since debuting about a decade ago. This is something with legs for the future as Office Dog sounds fully fresh and vital on Spiel through moving waves of alt-rock guitars. (Kevin McStravick)