Dunedin musicians continue to attract international attention, with Kane Strang picking up a United States recording contract.
Strang's success with his guitar-based pop comes after Port Chalmers folk singer Nadia Reid's album, Listen to Formation, Look for the Signs, attracted positive reviews following its international release in November.
When Strang (23), a University of Otago student and a third-generation Dunedin musician, self-released his debut album, Blue Cheese, online last April, he thought that would be as far as it would go.
He was "really excited'' when Ba Da Bing Records, in New York, agreed to release it in the US on CD and vinyl.
"I sort of thought that was the end of that and I would move on to the next one.
"All of a sudden, there was the potential for it to be heard by a lot more people than I thought.''
After the album's release next month, the plan was to tour the United States midway through this year.
Strang sent a copy of his album to Ba Da Bing Records after hearing it was impressed with some of his earlier work that appeared on a compilation of Dunedin music it released called Selections from Dunedin's Pop Underground 2011-2014.
The response was immediately positive, but Strang had to keep the news he had been signed under wraps for about seven months while the details were sorted.
He had recorded the album while house-sitting for a couple of months at his parents' home.
The isolation that came with living alone helped him bring the album together and influenced its sound.
"It's definitely a lot more sparse than the things I have done before.''
The album had been placed in a few different genres, including psychedelic-pop, but Strang thought of it as just straight pop.
He has a strong musical background. His grandfather, Harry Strang, played at the Dunedin Town Hall and his father, Richard, played bass for Dunedin punk band Runt.
Rather than being influenced by big international acts, his music was more affected by local acts and friends.
He believed the Dunedin music scene was strong and bands that came out of the city were unique and not "trying to be somebody else''.
After signing with Ba Da Bing Records, he also penned a deal with Flying Nun - the record label credited with launching the Dunedin Sound - which will be releasing the album in New Zealand on February 26, the same date as the international release.
The physical release has a few extra tracks on it than the version he self-released online.
Even before picking up the record deal, Strang had always planned to pursue a career in music.
"I go to university and stuff, but I don't have a backup plan.
"It's what I love to do.''
