Since the disbandment of his Auckland-based band New Gum Sarn in the summer of 2015, Oscar Dowling has found a voice of his own with his debut solo record Free and Easy.
After catching the eye of Pitchfork with singles ‘Ease My Passing‘ and album opener ‘The Life‘ late last year, Dowling is now ready to showcase his full repertoire with Free and Easy. Recorded and mixed with Ben Lawson in Auckland, the album features local luminaries Steven Huf, Will Wood, Mason Fairey, and Sam Hamilton. Dowling recalls; “Ben Lawson heard me play at my neighbours wedding and later asked if I wanted some studio time at Red Bull. He gave me a week in between other projects and last minute I realised I didn’t want to record solo and asked friends Steven Huf and Will Wood if they wanted to help me out. I’d seen both of them play with a lot of different people over the years and knew they could pull it off without much warning. I think we only practiced 3 times”
After scorching his way through Australia last year for a headline show at the Tote and performance at Spunk Rock 2, Oscar recently opened for Aldous Harding at her shows across New Zealand and embarked on a headline tour of his own. Dowling says of touring; “The band has changed a lot over the last two years with nine or ten different members passing through. For a while each time I played a show I was teaching somebody the whole set a few days before. It’s been a very disjointed project over all, but I feel like it’s finally coming together into something more solid.”
