Connan & the Mockasins

• Formed: 2004, Wellington, New Zealand
• Genres: Rock

Biography

The bombastic, quirky trio Connan & the Mockasins formulated their trippy brand of indie pop in the early 2000s. Led by Conan Hosford and backed up by Ross Walker and Seamus Ebbs, the group alchemized a sound that nodded to the soporific trippiness of Lothar & the Hand People, the bluesy swagger of Jimi Hendrix, and the puckish bite of the B-52's. It was, in other words, a sound similar to that of fellow Oceanians Architecture in Helsinki, not to mention various U.K.-based indie groups like the Royal We, Misty's Big Adventure, and the Kazoo Funk Orchestra, all of which were exploring similar twee-ish territory at the same time. Connan & the Mockasins independently released a couple of EPs, 2004's Naughty Holidays and 2006's Uuu It's Teasy, before getting picked up by U.K.-based Regal Recordings. The group's first EP on that label, Sneaky Sneaky Dogfriend, was released in 2007. ~ Margaret Reges, All Music Guide