What do you get when you cross The Undertones with The Jam, transport them to Aotearoa in 2026, and stick a Dublin-born, Wellington-based vocalist who’s Facebook says he’s from Helsinki, into the mix?

You get the rather splendid Oven, by Dónal Gunning, that’s what.

With an instantly attention-grabbing bass and drums intro straight out of the Fergal Sharkey school of composition, I was transported straight to that parka-adorned, semi-crew haircut era of post-punk new wave. Attitude, humour, uncompromising self-belief and a foreboding – prescient indeed – of what the 80s were to bring to society under the right wing neoliberal eras of Thatcher and Reagan.

Then you bring it into 2026 and stick a genuine talent into the mix! Recorded, produced and hailing from the rich vein of talent that comes from Wellington, Dónal has moved from the grittier side of his music into a more indie vibe. Still bearing a distinctly New Wave snarl, the verses took me over to Paul Weller, Rick Buckler and Bruce Foxton in their heyday but with a nifty Brandon Flowers kink. In no way am I suggesting any tribute bands or plagiarising – Dónal Gunning has provided a really great, original, and commercially viable track. I’m just name dropping for term of reference so you can picture where this track takes my fevered head.

Producer Peter Jamieson has done a sterling job. The intro, bass and drums, are tight and sharp. Treble in the mix there is tempered by a full-surround so it stays sharp but not snap-snap grating. A good result. Adding the wave-like synth/strings to the intro gives atmos that builds up for the verses nicely. The melody at content of these verses are where I get my Jam/Killers vibe, so I will be interested in feedback as to what you think.

Then comes the fabulous chorus – and I am thrown straight into the Undertones world. Catchy but attitude-laden. Again though, Undertones is mentioned purely for context of the vibe. This is a really cool track, with nicely dropped orchestration, all very well mixed and mastered to a 2026 standard for an indie/post-punk anthem. And anthem it is indeed. That chorus! Ear worm territory, big time.

It’s going to be a crowd-pleaser on his North Island tour in the autumn. It’s also sure to be a radio hit here and in many overseas places. Ireland will definitely embrace it. In fact, Ireland, Europe in general, as well as the UK and the commercial strongholds of Asia – the Philippines, Japan, South Korea, India – would all embrace this, I think.

Show Dónal your support here. Thursday 26th February is launch day. Please mark it on the calendar if you like rich indie music delivered with a swagger born of genuine ability to deliver. Great work from the Irish! Sláinte.