The Clean are an influential indie rock band that formed in Dunedin, New Zealand in 1978. The Clean soon forged a distinctive and quirky sound, inspired by punk filtered through to the relatively isolated New Zealand. Although they released several chart-topping singles in their native country, The Clean are a little-known cult band outside of New Zealand, although their influence is surprisingly far-reaching. They became a staple of college radio in the 1980s; Stephen Malkmus of Pavement cites them as a major influence