“[Dowling] taps into the same low-key but potent malevolence that seethed through early Smog, the For Carnation, and Boston…extract[ing] an idle, sour creep to underpin his unsettling reckoning over the value of life and death.” – Pitchfork
“heartwrenching… striking” – Under The Radar

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, due out April 14th through Spunk Records / Banished Music and on cassette through Prison Tapes. 
 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”

NZ TOUR DATES
April 21st – Whammy Bar, Auckland
April 22nd – Moon, Wellington
April 27th – Darkroom, Christchurch
April 28th – Re:Fuel, Dunedin