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“Why isn’t this Christchurch indie-pop artist huge already? Sarena Close is clearly a solid songwriter with range, depth, and a great voice to boot.” – RNZ

Since her surprisingly fully formed and beautifully surprising debut album Lemon Law landed in 2019, Mousey – the songwriting nom de plume of Ōtautahi’s Sarena Close – has been slowly but surely honing her craft. Her 2022’s album My Friends drew praise from all corners, with Rolling Stone Australia noting “Mousey’s lyricism and songwriting are excellent, bolstered by the album’s phenomenal production”.

Now, once dubbed by Radio New Zealand as “one of the brighter young talents on the New Zealand music scene”, this APRA Silver Scroll nominee returns with her first utterance since My Friends with her new single, ‘Dog Park’ showcases Mousey’s raw emotional depth and unique musical style.

Mousey offers insight into the genesis of ‘Dog Park’ stating, “Sometimes the most harmful thing someone has said to me has been quite forgettable for the person who said it. The axe forgets, but the tree remembers. I wrote this song in about 10 minutes—it just fell out, without even a thought of references. I felt it and went from there. It’s quite simple, there’s not much to it.”

She continues, “I love the moody, brooding feel of this song. It sounds like how I feel on the inside. I know that’s super cheesy, but whatever. The title is a dig at a family member for making me feel disposable compared to the family dog.”

Ōtautahi producer Will McGillivray (There’s a Tuesday, The Butlers) lent his expertise to ‘Dog Park’ enhancing its moody atmosphere and bringing Mousey’s vision to life.

In celebration of launching new music, Mousey has shared one more track today, intended as a digital B-Side titled, ‘Opener’. “I just wanted to try it out! I really appreciate when other artists do it. It lets you start building a style, and ‘Opener’ really goes hand in hand with ‘Dog Park’ in terms of that dark and moody, brooding side of my current songwriting.”

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Photo credit: Naomi Haussman