Dillon Jo Release Debut Album ‘Guard Dog’
Te Whanganui-a-Tara four-piece Dillon Jo today release their debut album, Guard Dog. Blending dreamy shoegaze textures, alternative rock and melodic pop, the album explores growing up, queer love, relationships, mental health and feminine rage.
To celebrate the release, the band will headline an album release show at Wellington’s San Fran on 29 October.
Describing their sound as “Dreamy Droppy Rock Pop,” Dillon Jo balances hazy guitars and dreamy melodies with emotionally raw songwriting. Across Guard Dog, the band moves between explosive alternative rock and vulnerable, stripped-back moments, capturing the confusion, intensity and growing pains of finding your place in your twenties.
Opening with the heavy, anxiety-driven Windmill, the album moves through the shoegaze-pop blend of Shiver and the darker, more chaotic energy of Vertigo. Later, Drift reflects on losing touch with people you once cared about, before the piano-led Hourglass brings the record into a more vulnerable space. Elsewhere, Jo explores queer love, while Break/Empty channels feminine rage.
Featuring five standout singles, including Drift, supported by NZ On Air New Music Single funding, Guard Dog brings together the band’s evolving sound into a cohesive debut record.
Since forming in early 2025, the female-fronted band have played Live Nation’s NZ Ones To Watch Showcase 2026, received NZ On Air New Music Single Funding, and opened for artists including The Rions, Foley, Coast Arcade, Hemi Hemingway, Wet Denim and Borderline.
They have also performed at major Wellington festivals including Newtown Festival, CubaDupa and Performance Arcade, headlined San Fran three times in 2025, and were selected as guest band for Rockquest Regional Finals across Whanganui, Manawatū, Wairarapa, Hawke’s Bay and Wellington.
Dillon Jo’s repertoire has gained support across Aotearoa’s student and community radio network, with Shiver and Vertigo reaching #1 on RadioActive FM’s Top 11 for two consecutive weeks, Vertigo reaching #1 on the SRN Top 10, and Good Person reached #1 on Radio Control 99.4FM and was playlisted across Apple Music editorial playlists including New in Rock, New in Alternative, New Music Daily and The Best New Music.
With over 133,000 streams across their catalogue, more than 822,000 TikTok likes and videos reaching up to 2.1 million views, Dillon Jo are embarking on a national headline tour next February and are building an audience outside of Wellington.
Guard Dog is the next chapter for Dillon Jo, encapsulating what it feels like to grow up, experience feminine rage and heartbreak, as they continue to thrive in the Aotearoa music scene.
