Biography
Kane Strang is a musician from Dunedin, New Zealand, known for his intimate brand of indie rock and lo-fi pop. Growing up in a musically inclined family, he co-founded the band Dinosaur Sanctuary before embarking on a solo career. In 2013 he travelled to Germany to stay with childhood friend Rassani Tolovaa, and the pair recorded songs in a World War II bomb shelter. Strang self-released these recordings as his debut EP, A Pebble and a Paper Crane, later that year.
His debut album Blue Cheese (2016), written and recorded solo over summer 2014, was released by Ba Da Bing Records in the United States and Flying Nun Records in New Zealand. Its eleven songs of melodic, bedroom-recorded indie pop drew immediate international attention, earning Strang comparisons to key figures of the Dunedin Sound while charting a distinctly personal course.
The follow-up, Two Hearts and No Brain (2017), released on Dead Oceans, was recorded with a collaborative four-piece arrangement. Pitchfork praised the album, noting that Strang’s “songs have a way of making modest acts seem heroic.” The record deepened his reputation as a melodist of rare economy and emotional directness, and earned international airplay and critical acclaim.
Songs have a way of making modest acts seem heroic.
Pitchfork
Happy to Perform (2021) was recorded across Roundhead Studios in Auckland and Radio One in Dunedin, with producer and engineer Steven John Marr and contributions from drummer Jonty O’Connor, pianist Peter Ruddell, and saxophonist Tim Copland. The album marked a subtle expansion of Strang’s sonic palette while retaining the intimate warmth of his earlier work.
Strang subsequently formed the band Office Dog with his long-time collaborator Rassani Tolovaa and drummer Mitchell Innes. The trio’s debut album Spiel (2024) was released on New West Records and Flying Nun Records, introducing a lusher, more expansive sound built around the chemistry of the three musicians.
Members
- Kane Strang (guitar/vocals, Office Dog, Dinosaur Sanctuary)
Discography
- A Pebble and a Paper Crane EP (2013)
- Blue Cheese (2016) – Ba Da Bing Records / Flying Nun Records
- Two Hearts and No Brain (2017) – Dead Oceans (DOC126)
- Happy to Perform (2021)
- Spiel (2024) – New West Records / Flying Nun Records (as Office Dog)