The Dunedin sound was a musical and cultural movement in Dunedin, Otago, in the early 1980s. It helped found indie rock as a genre. The scene is associated with Flying Nun Records, an independent label.
Toy Love were a New Zealand new wave and punk rock band that originated in Dunedin and was active from 1978 to 1980. Members included Chris Knox, Alec Bathgate and Paul Kean.
The Verlaines are a New Zealand rock band from Dunedin. Formed in 1981 by Graeme Downes, Craig Easton, Anita Pillai, Phillip Higham and Greg Kerr, the band went through multiple line-ups.
Sneaky Feelings are a New Zealand pop rock band which releases on the Flying Nun Records music label. The band formed in 1980 with the line-up of Matthew Bannister, David Pine, Kat Tyrie and Martin Durrant. Tyrie was replaced by John Kelcher in 1984. Durrant was temporarily replaced by Ross Burge in 1988 for the band's second tour of Europe.
The Clean was a New Zealand indie rock band formed in Dunedin in 1978. They have been described as the most influential band to come from the Flying Nun label, which recorded many artists associated with the "Dunedin sound", and one of the first bands to be described as "indie rock".
Shayne P. Carter is a New Zealand musician best known for leading Straitjacket Fits from 1986 to 1994, and as the only permanent member of Dimmer (1995–2012).
The Chills are a New Zealand rock band that formed in Dunedin in 1980. The band were fronted by founding mainstay singer-songwriter, guitarist Martin Phillipps. During the mid-1990s they were billed as Martin Phillipps & the Chills. Their top ten studio albums in their homeland are Submarine Bells (1990), Soft Bomb (1992), Snow Bound (2018) and Scatterbrain (2021). The Chills were a cult band in other parts of the world as one of the earliest proponents of the Dunedin sound. Their top 20 singles are "Pink Frost", "Doledrums", "I Love My Leather Jacket" (1986), "Heavenly Pop Hit" (1990) and "Male Monster from the Id" (1992).
Straitjacket Fits were a four-piece alternative indie rock band that formed in Dunedin, New Zealand, in 1986 and broke up in 1994. They released three studio albums, Hail (1988), Melt (1990), and Blow (1993), and several EPs. Their line-up for their first two albums consisted of Shayne Carter, John Collie (drums), David Wood (bass), and Andrew Brough. Brough departed the band in 1991 and was replaced for the band's final album by Mark Petersen.
The Bats are an influential New Zealand rock band formed in 1982 in Christchurch by Paul Kean (bass), Malcolm Grant (drums), Robert Scott and Kaye Woodward. Though primarily a Christchurch band, The Bats have strong links to Dunedin and are usually grouped in with the Dunedin sound musicians that emerged in the early 1980s. The band has retained the same four members from 1982 to the present day.
Able Tasmans were an indie pop band from Auckland, New Zealand, initially formed as a duo in 1983. They released four albums and two EPs on Flying Nun Records before splitting up in 1996.
The Stones were a New Zealand band from Dunedin named after the Rolling Stones. One of the earliest bands to record on the Flying Nun label, they helped form the style of music known as the Dunedin sound, along with label mates such as the Chills, the Verlaines and Sneaky Feelings, all of whom appeared alongside the Stones on the seminal Flying Nun release the Dunedin Double EP.
"Death and the Maiden" is a song by New Zealand rock band The Verlaines, who are one of a number of 1980s bands signed to Flying Nun Records and attributed to the Dunedin Sound. It was released as a single in 1983 and is arguably the most popular song in their discography. The 'B' side of the record was "CD, Jimmy Jazz & Me."
The Dunedin Double EP is a 1982 compilation EP by The Chills, Sneaky Feelings, The Stones, and The Verlaines, released on the Christchurch label Flying Nun. An unusual format, it contain two 45rpm 12" discs. At nearly 50 minutes length, it was longer than many compilations of the time period. The EP's release publicised Flying Nun as a major alternative record label for the first time. It has become regarded as one of the earliest seminal works of the Dunedin sound, which heavily influenced the development of indie rock.
Kaleidoscope World is a compilation album by New Zealand group The Chills, released in 1986 on Flying Nun Records in New Zealand and on Creation Records in UK. The album was a compilation of early singles, plus all the Chills' tracks which featured on the Dunedin Double EP and The Lost EP. It was reissued in 1987 by Flying Nun with a bonus 7-inch single, "I'll Only See You Alone Again"/"Green Eyed Owl". It was rereleased again in 2016 by Flying Nun and Captured Tracks with a further 7 bonus tracks.
Sentimental Education is an album by the New Zealand group Sneaky Feelings. First released as an LP in 1986, it was re-released with extra tracks as a CD the following year. Several of the extra tracks had previously been released as singles, including the band's biggest single, "'Husband House".
Sunburnt is an album by Martin Phillipps & the Chills, though more correctly by Martin Phillipps alone. Owing to visa problems, the usual Chills line-up were not able to take part in the recording sessions, and session musicians Dave Gregory and Dave Mattacks appeared on all tracks, with Phillipps handling vocal, keyboard, and guitar parts, as well as some of the percussion. Craig Leon, the album's producer, also appeared on several of the tracks.
Vehicle is the first studio album by New Zealand rock group the Clean. It was released in 1990 by Flying Nun and Rough Trade Records. Much of the material was written for the band's reunion tour in the late 1980s. Rough Trade founder Geoff Travis offered to record The Clean after seeing them play in London, after which Vehicle was produced during a three-day session. The album was engineered by Ken Kennedy and notable producer Alan Moulder, who was suggested by Travis.
Jane Dodd is a New Zealand musician and contemporary jeweller. She is well known for her role as a bass player in early Dunedin-based Flying Nun Records groups The Chills and The Verlaines, was a long-standing member of Auckland group Able Tasmans, and occasionally played with side-project The Lure of Shoes.
"Pink Frost" is a song by New Zealand band The Chills. The song was originally recorded in 1982. It was released as a single in 1984. Its B-side was the instrumental track "Purple Girl". It reached number 17 on the New Zealand singles chart.
Martin Phillipps was a New Zealand singer-songwriter and musician. He was the lead singer and rhythm guitarist for The Chills. As part of the Dunedin sound, Phillipps and the Chills helped lay the groundwork for modern indie rock, and the band's innovative approach to alternative rock and lo-fi formed his legacy. After he died suddenly in 2024, Split Enz and Crowded House frontman Neil Finn said Phillips was a "true original, fascinated by and devoted to the magic and mystery of music".
