The Clean's Indelible Legacy: A Look at 10 Essential Tracks
The Dunedin band The Clean, formed in 1978 by brothers Hamish and David Kilgour along with Peter Gutteridge, pioneered a lo-fi DIY spirit that blended west coast psychedelia, Velvet Underground influences, and post-punk energy. Their impact on indie acts like Pavement, Yo La Tengo, and Guided by Voices is profound, and their first Flying Nun Records single, Tally Ho, recorded for just NZ$50 in 1981, marked a thrilling new chapter in New Zealand music. A new oral history by Richard Langston, The Clean: In the Dreamlife You Need a Rubber Soul, is now available, celebrating their legacy.
Point That Thing Somewhere Else (1981)
This scorching track from the band's first EP, Boodle Boodle Boodle, originated from a bassline by Peter Gutteridge during a jam session. Recorded in a hall, the EP reached No. 5 in the New Zealand charts and remained in the Top 20 for six months without commercial airplay, heralding a ground zero for New Zealand music. The song features ecstatic free-range guitar, combining surf, proto-punk, and drone elements, with Hamish Kilgour establishing himself as a standout singing-drummer. A blistering 15-minute live recording from 1981 showcases the trio creating epic sheets of sound.
Slug Song (1982)
In 1982, The Clean supported The Fall in Christchurch, impressing frontman Mark E. Smith. That same year, they released their second EP, Great Sounds Great, Good Sounds Good, So-so Sounds So-so, Bad Sounds Bad, Rotten Sounds Rotten, named by Chris Knox after a hi-fi magazine ad. Recorded on a four-track over three days in a cramped Christchurch house, the EP's sound departs from its spacious predecessor. Slug Song begins with a dinky organ riff and clattering drums, building to a hypnotic swirl, with Kilgour delivering Dylanesque lines and cautioning against conformity.
Franz Kafka at the Zoo (1996)
From the 1996 album Unknown Country, recorded when Hamish Kilgour returned from New York, this song came together quickly in the studio. Despite the album being called the band's "least compelling" by AudioCulture, Franz Kafka at the Zoo is beguilingly atmospheric and literary. It features layered dual vocals from David Kilgour and a nonsense spoken narrative by Hamish, referencing figures like Kafka, Hansel and Gretel, and Virginia Woolf. The abstruse lyrics belie a wistful heart, with spare piano and a languid bassline over quiet squalls.
Secret Place (1994)
From their second studio album, Modern Rock, this song introduced new sonic textures like hammered dulcimer, cello, and mandolin. Written by Robert Scott after a dream, it's a bittersweet organ-led track with his plaintive non-singer voice. The song offers an irresistible tonal uplift as Scott sings about hope and truth, concluding with a spidery piano fade-out that evokes dreamlike pastoral delicacy.
Diamond Shine (1990)
From their first studio album, Vehicle, described by The New York Times as having guitar chords that "tumble out with the grace of falling bricks," Diamond Shine is a shimmering acid-tinged gem. Produced by Geoff Travis and engineered by Alan Moulder, the album retains the band's DIY spirit while adding a professional sheen. With David Kilgour's fast guitar stylings and Scott's daggy vocal interjections, the song shows a trio in perfect sync.
Quickstep (1981)
This live recording captures The Clean's formidable energy, recorded by Paul Kean at Christchurch's Gladstone Tavern in 1981. Like a mangled, sped-up Stooges or southern hemisphere Swell Maps, it features an unwavering death disco bass line, showcasing the band's confidence and dynamic instinct. A live clip from Auckland's Rumba Bar in 1982 shows enthusiastic dancers responding to the performance.
Getting Older (1982)
With squalling guitar, chaotic drums, and taunting vocals, David Kilgour wrote this song about a shallow, vain person in Dunedin. Accompanied by a slapstick Buster Keaton-esque music video, it blends pop melodies, a big Spector sound, and dissonance. The wonky trumpet blasts, recorded by Scott into a piano cavity, add a reverby quality, and a majestic chord change about a minute in highlights the song's complexity.
Beatnik (1982)
An absurdist, good-time anthem recalling garage rock classic 96 Tears and west coast psychedelia, Beatnik features callouts reminiscent of The Rolling Stones. Nonsensical lines and a goofy music video with friends dressed as hippies and beatniks add to its charm. David Kilgour's west coast cool look in the video underscores the band's stylistic influences.
I’m in Love With These Times by Bailter Space (1987)
Penned by Hamish Kilgour and originating from The Clean's original lineup, this song was recorded by Bailter Space in 1987. With a clanging motorik beat and janky piano, it offers sardonic lines about modern life. Flying Nun later used the title for a compilation, and label founder Roger Shepherd titled his 2016 memoir after it, highlighting its cultural impact.
Anything Could Happen (1981)
With a laid-back, countryfied swagger, this song was written as a chord reference to Dunedin punk band The Enemy's Pull Down the Shades. Lyrics inspired by advice from a friend of Hamish's uncle convey a message of self-improvement. The uplifting chorus and imagery of junkyards and highways show Bob Dylan's influence, with David Kilgour appearing Dylan-like in the music video. Former New Zealand deputy prime minister Grant Robertson even named his 2025 memoir after this song.
The Clean: In the Dreamlife You Need a Rubber Soul by Richard Langston is available now in New Zealand and Australia, with upcoming releases in Europe and North America by Feral House, offering a deep dive into the band's enduring legacy.
