Music Industry News

Tāmaki Makaurau-based indie-pop artist Geoff Ong has today shared his hotly anticipated second EP, DIVERGING LINES, alongside an electric new single, which takes its name from the record.

Packed with self-produced and utterly wholesome bangers, DIVERGING LINES offers an intimate insight into Geoff’s honest and raw songwriting, and his undeniable talent for encapsulating sensitive subject matter in a way that makes listeners feel less alone. Through topics of growing up, grief, friendship, nostalgia, and navigating the 21st century, paired with captivating indie-pop production, Geoff invites grooving, foot-tapping, and introspection.

Today’s release from the self-proclaimed “pop star for dorks” features 2024’s catchy and candid coming of age anthem, ‘When It Gets Easy’ (The Listener, Seven Sharp, TAHI FM, Radio One) and the pulsing climate-conscious ‘What Will We Do When The Ocean Comes?’ (Tearaway, 95bFM), which stole hearts at its debut performance with The Exploding Rainbow Orchestra in 2023.

Also featured is the new single ‘Diverging Lines’, which oozes an 80s-infused synth-pop style belying its melancholic, raw subject matter.

“I lost a friend to suicide in 2024, and this song really became a vehicle for processing my grief around
that time,” says Geoff. “It made me reflect a lot on relationships with friends and family… sometimes our lines run parallel to each other and then we diverge. So the question then became, ‘How do I make the most of the time that I have with the lines I’m running parallel with right now?’ and ‘How do I show up the best I can for the people I love?’”

The new track was written, produced, mixed and mastered entirely by Geoff in his home studio – like most of the songs on DIVERGING LINES, except for ‘When It Gets Easy’, which was mixed and mastered by Emily Wheatcroft-Snape (Fazerdaze, Lorde, Tiny Ruins).

Other new tracks revealed on the EP include ‘The Internet Is Haunted’, which questions the impact that technology has on our relationships, and ‘I Am Just A Tapestry’, a warm and unravelling song detailing the little parts of ourselves we leave with one another.

“I really believe that platonic relationships can be just as impactful in our lives as romantic relationships,” says Geoff. “Both in how they define who we are as people when we are in them, and how heartbreaking they can be when they end.”

An inspiring collection of heartfelt experiences and feelings, DIVERGING LINES is the perfect soundtrack for self-reflection. Listeners won’t want to miss this stunning new chapter in Geoff Ong’s story!

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A self-proclaimed “popstar for dorks”, Geoff Ong has spent the last four years cultivating a passionate fan base through a combination of online engagement, electric live performances, and his own brand of quirky pop songwriting. Recognition for Geoff’s art is catching like wildfire: with five songs from his 2020 debut album MAYBE IT’LL BE ALRIGHT placing in the Official NZ Music Charts Top 5, consistent radio airplay across Aotearoa, and a featured performance for the Exploding Rainbow Orchestra in 2023 – writing and performing alongside such musical legends as Hollie Fulbrook (Tiny Ruins), Don McGlashan, and Steph Brown (Lips). Much of Geoff’s mahi within the Aotearoa music industry weaves together with his advocacy for greater Asian representation and racial diversity in mainstream media, performing at Asian(SOUND)Scapes music festivals and serving as a mentor for Asians In Music NZ.