The Dunedin Double EP was a seminal record in New Zealand music

Music of New Zealand

The music of New Zealand is the expression of the culture of New Zealand. New Zealand's music is influenced by the culture of the indigenous Māori and immigrants from the Pacific region, though its musical origins lie predominantly in British colonial history, with contributions from Europe and...

. An unusual format, it contain two 45rpm 12" discs, and at nearly 50 minutes length, it is longer than many albums.

Released in 1982, the compilation was one of the first releases from the newly formed Flying Nun Records

Flying Nun Records

Flying Nun Records is an independent record label formed in Christchurch, New Zealand in 1981 by music-store proprietor Roger Shepherd.-History:The label was formed in the flurry of new punk rock-inspired labels forming in the early 1980s...

 label (catalogue number DUN-1), which over the course of the next ten years was to become the biggest independent record label in New Zealand. Many of the label's top groups came from the South Island

South Island

The South Island is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, to the south and east by the Pacific Ocean...

 city of Dunedin

Dunedin

Dunedin is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the Otago Region. It is considered to be one of the four main urban centres of New Zealand for historic, cultural, and geographic reasons. Dunedin was the largest city by territorial land area until...

, and established that southern city's music scene as the leading source of guitar-based bands in New Zealand throughout much of the decade. The bands from the city which had music released on Flying Nun were grouped under the loose banner of Dunedin Sound

Dunedin Sound

The Dunedin sound was a style of indie pop music created in the southern New Zealand university city of Dunedin in the early 1980s.-Characteristics:...

, and several of them went on to not only national but also international success.

The Dunedin Double EP established the names of four of these groups, each of which was represented on the double EP by one side. The four bands concerned were The Chills

The Chills

The Chills are a guitar and keyboard-based rock band from Dunedin, New Zealand. In the 1980s and 1990s, they were one of the proponents of the Dunedin Sound.- History :...

, Sneaky Feelings

Sneaky Feelings

Sneaky Feelings were a 1980s New Zealand pop/rock band, led by Matthew Bannister, who recorded on the Flying Nun label. Initially recording with the line-up of Bannister , David Pine , Kat Tyrie and Martin Durrant , Tyrie was replaced by John Kelcher early in the band's career...

, The Stones

The Stones (New Zealand band)

The Stones were a New Zealand band from Dunedin named after The Rolling Stones. One of the earliest bands to record on the Flying Nun label, they helped form the style of music known as the Dunedin Sound, along with label mates such as The Chills, The Verlaines and Sneaky Feelings, all of whom...

, and The Verlaines

The Verlaines

The Verlaines are a rock band from Dunedin, New Zealand. Formed in 1981 by Graeme Downes, Craig Easton, Anita Pillai, Phillip Higham and Greg Kerr, the band went through multiple line-ups before going on an extended hiatus after their 1997 album Over The Moon. In 2003 a career retrospective, You're...

. The Chills' song Kaleidoscope World in particular became very popular, gaining considerable airplay for the band (It later provided the title for the band's first album

Kaleidoscope World (The Chills album)

Kaleidoscope World is an album by New Zealand group, The Chills released in 1986 on Creation Records. The album was a compilation of early singles, plus all the Chills' tracks which featured on the Dunedin Double EP and The Lost EP...

, a compilation of their early singles and EP tracks.

Though the sound quality of the Dunedin Double EP was distinctly lo-fi (it was recorded on portable 4-track by Chris Knox

Chris Knox

Chris Knox is a New Zealand rock and roll musician, cartoonist, and DVD reviewer who emerged during the punk rock era with his bands The Enemy and Toy Love. After Toy Love disbanded in the early 1980s, he formed the group Tall Dwarfs with guitarist Alec Bathgate, much loved for their honest,...

), the release of this record provided a major impetus both for Flying Nun records and for the four bands involved, as well as providing inspiration and momentum to the music scene in Dunedin.

EP 1

Side 1: The Chills

The Chills

The Chills are a guitar and keyboard-based rock band from Dunedin, New Zealand. In the 1980s and 1990s, they were one of the proponents of the Dunedin Sound.- History :...

1. "Kaleidoscope World"
2. "Satin Doll"
3. "(Frantic) Drift"

Side 2: Sneaky Feelings

Sneaky Feelings

Sneaky Feelings were a 1980s New Zealand pop/rock band, led by Matthew Bannister, who recorded on the Flying Nun label. Initially recording with the line-up of Bannister , David Pine , Kat Tyrie and Martin Durrant , Tyrie was replaced by John Kelcher early in the band's career...

1. "Pity's Sake"
2. "There's a Chance"
3. "Backroom"

EP 2

Side 1: The Stones

The Stones (New Zealand band)

The Stones were a New Zealand band from Dunedin named after The Rolling Stones. One of the earliest bands to record on the Flying Nun label, they helped form the style of music known as the Dunedin Sound, along with label mates such as The Chills, The Verlaines and Sneaky Feelings, all of whom...

1. "Down and Around"
2. "See Red"
3. "Something New"
4. "Surf's Up"

Side 2: The Verlaines

The Verlaines

The Verlaines are a rock band from Dunedin, New Zealand. Formed in 1981 by Graeme Downes, Craig Easton, Anita Pillai, Phillip Higham and Greg Kerr, the band went through multiple line-ups before going on an extended hiatus after their 1997 album Over The Moon. In 2003 a career retrospective, You're...

1. "Angela"
2. "Crisis After Crisis"
3. "You Cheat Yourself Of Everything That Moves"