Formed in 2023 while all three members were flatting together in Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland, Aotearoa/NZ, Family Band take influence from Chicago noise rock and late 00’s Trans-Tasman post-punk. 

Today they share ‘Large Dirt Piles’, the first single from their debut EP The Dog Box (out digitally on April 30 via Sunreturn). It’s a minimal, repetitive and visceral slab of post punk, rock deconstruction that brings to mind Big Black, Die! Die! Die!, METZ and some of the more industrial-leaning NZ bands of the late 20th century (Skeptics, early Headless Chickens, NRA).

“The song itself is about passing generational trauma down your family tree and trying to become the one that stops the cycle,” says Vella. “It’s become even more prevalent in my life now that I’m becoming a father.”

“Large Dirt Piles is the second song we wrote together as a band. Brandee has never played an instrument and wanted to learn, so we booked a show and had to write parts quickly. It’s astounding (and quite annoying) how quickly she picked it up.”