Biography
Doprah were a Christchurch electronic outfit formed in early 2013, when Steven John Marr — formerly of Christchurch shoegaze band Ipswich — reached out to Auckland-based vocalist Indira Force after admiring her voice. Force had come to wider attention by placing second in the 2012 Smokefree Rockquest, and the pair began collaborating remotely on the single Love That I Need. What began as a long-distance exchange soon developed into a full band, with Force relocating to Christchurch and the duo drawing in guitarist Hunter Jackson, bassist Symon Palmer, drummer Ryan Chin, and multi-instrumentalist Matthew Gunn.
Their self-released digital singles of 2013 — including San Pedro, Stranger People, and Whatever You Want — established a signature sound: layered electronics, downbeat rhythms, and Force’s hushed, ethereal vocals, drawing comparisons to Björk and Elizabeth Fraser of the Cocteau Twins. Student radio quickly embraced their brand of psychedelic trip-hop. The following year, Doprah signed with Auckland independent Arch Hill Recordings, releasing their self-titled debut EP on CD. The year also brought international attention: Doprah supported Lorde at her post-Grammy homecoming show in Auckland, played the Laneway Festival, and flew to New York for a slot at CMJ Music Festival. Billboard’s Next Big Sound column subsequently named them the “fastest accelerating artist across all major social music sites,” and the EP reached number 4 on the NZ Independent Album Charts.
The debut album Wasting followed in February 2016, recorded over three years partly in bedrooms and partly at The Sitting Room studio in Lyttelton. It wove live instrumentation through Gunn’s layered samplers and Marr’s production — described as “dark, undulating and electric” — with artwork by Wellington-based artist Ryan Achten and mastering by Jamal Ruhe (Swans, Built to Spill). Released via Prison Tapes with UK and US distribution through Secretly Canadian, the album was supported by a New Zealand tour alongside Yumi Zouma in May 2016.
I want a sound that’s quantised but organic. Something that sounds like it was written by a human, programmed on a computer.
Indira Force, NZ Musician
Doprah disbanded following the release of Wasting. Force relocated to Berlin, where she was accepted into the Red Bull Music Academy in 2018 and released her debut solo album Precipice under the name Indi through Flying Nun Records in October 2018 — a record built from trombone, violin, saxophone, and flute woven through her electronic production, whose lead single’s video won Best Music Video at Sydney’s CLIPPED Festival. She later rebranded as Aridni Orca, releasing The Bell, the Swan & the Golden Thread in 2025 through Sonorous Circle, nominated for Favourite Album at the Aotearoa Alternative Awards.
Marr settled in Dunedin and established himself as a producer and recording engineer, working with artists including Fazed on a Pony, Eli Superflyy, Kane Strang, and Die! Die! Die! Drummer Ryan Chin, recording under the name Ryan Fisherman, released his debut solo album Vibe in 2020 — featuring Indira Force and Marlon Williams among over twenty New Zealand musicians — and continued as a drummer and engineer with Adam Hattaway and the Haunters.
Members
- Ryan Chin (drums, Ryan Fisherman, Adam Hattaway and the Haunters)
- Indira Force (vocals/synths, Indi, Aridni Orca, New Dawn)
- Matthew Gunn (samplers/drums/percussion, Ipswich, Psych Tigers)
- Hunter Jackson (guitar)
- Steven John Marr (producer/vocals, Ipswich, Nakey, Psych Tigers)
- Symon Palmer (bass)
Discography
- San Pedro Single (2013, self-released)
- Stranger People / Whatever You Want Single (2013, self-released)
- Love That I Need / Together Apart Single (2013, self-released)
- DOPRAH EP (2014, Arch Hill Recordings, AHR060)
- Wasting LP (2016, Prison Tapes)