Where are you currently based?
We are currently based in Pōneke (Wellington, New Zealand)
How did Wet Denim form?
Brothers Joe and Jack (Bass & Drums) have been jamming together all their lives and have always wanted to be in a band together. After both moving to Wellington, it was the perfect opportunity to make this happen. Joe saw Nick perform at an open mic night a couple of months before the idea of Wet Denim came about, (and quickly forgot about him!). When it came time to fully assemble the band, Jack brought in his flatmate Luca on guitar and keys, and Joe finally remembered to ask Nick to join.
What’s been happening recently?
Coming out of the gate in May, post Covid, we were hungry to play as many shows as we could. Over the next four 4 months we played 8 local shows in Wellington including some sold out headliners. During this time we were also working on recording our EP. In the more recent months, the live shows have been put on the backburner whilst we wrapped up the EP recording, and as we prepare for our final Wellington show in 2022.
How’s the NZ music scene at the moment?
The NZ music scene, more specifically the Welly live scene has been pumping since shows started again yearly this year. Everyone is super supportive of each other, going to each other’s shows, promoting music, it’s a real community vibe.
Your latest single ‘Free’ is out on the 27th of October, what’s influenced the sound and songwriting?
All of the music we collectively listened to growing up has influenced our songwriting big time. This recent track takes quite a ‘Kings of Leon’ approach that we all froth!
How did you go about writing ‘Free’?
At the start of 2021 Joe was playing around on the Logic Pro X recording software and came up with the first idea of ‘Free’ with the intro up until the first verse. When we had our first jam he showed everyone the idea and from there we formed the idea into a full song – with Luca adding his sauce, Nick singing the melody and Jack driving the groove. And that’s what really grew our bond as a band. ‘Free’ was our very first song we finished.
Where and when did you record/produce/master and who did you work with?
Recording ‘Free’ began in Joe’s bedroom and then was taken to Avalon studios where we worked with Shaan Singh and Ben O’Leary, who helped us take the track from a demo to a release quality track. ‘Free’ was mixed by Neil MacLeod and mastered by Chris Chetland at KOG Studios.
How did you approach the recording process?
As mentioned before, the original demo of ‘Free’ was the fruits of Joe working away in his bedroom studio. We developed the ideas whilst jamming which Shaan and Ben then helped us track into the song.
What do you most enjoy about touring NZ?
We haven’t got there yet, but we have a few shows and festivals over summer that are outside of Pōneke that we are super excited for!
Who are you listening to at the moment?
We are really loving the music that is coming out of Wellington at the moment. Arjuna Oaks, Haven, Mikeyy, Frank on Tap, and Revulva are a few of our faves.
What do you like to do away from music?
Jack and Luca are both designers, visual and spatial respectively, which takes up a bunch of their time, Nick is right into his fitness and Joe has nothing else going for him.
Favorite food and place to hangout?
We love to hang at Raglan Roast Cafe and sip on their yummy yummy brew.
What’s planned for the remainder of 2022 going into 2023?
We have just recently released our second single ‘Free’. On November 17th we have our first headlining show at San Fran which will act as a taster for our EP set for release in December. We have a soggy summer lined up where we will be stretching our legs and taking our EP outside of the capital. You can catch us at Cape Estate on Boxing Day, Outfield Festival, and 121 Festival. Yeooooww!
https://www.facebook.com/wetdenimband