What does a young band from Wellington sound like these days?
For Wet Denim, it’s catchy pop-rock that gets the crowd moving. Their new EP, On the Line, delivers an energetic mix of road-tested tracks and fresh material while tackling mature themes like gratitude, addiction, and self-perception.
“On the Line traverses a wide range of themes including gratitude, addiction, love, longing, self-perception, and acceptance – it is a deeply personal record to us all in different ways, and we hope that people will find connection to the music when they hear it!” the band explain.
Their natural chemistry comes from being a mix of close friends and family: Nick Goodwin on guitar and vocals, Luca Crampton on guitar, synths, and keys, and brothers Jack and Joe Ledward on drums and bass.
Co-produced and mixed by Neil MacLeod, On the Line features singles like “Stuck With You,” “Again and Again,” and “The Why.”
The closing track, “Calm,” is the band’s heaviest cut to date, and they’re excited to debut the final single, “Want You Here,” live on their upcoming tour across New Zealand from October through November. The tour kicked off in style in Dunedin last night, and now heads to Christchurch, Timaru, Auckland, Hawke’s Bay, before finishing with a Wellington hometown show (see full tour dates here).
To celebrate their new music and national tour, Rolling Stone AU/NZ caught up with Wet Denim to learn more about them, which you can read below.
Wet Demin’s On the Line EP is out now.
Rolling Stone AU/NZ: How did music influence you in your early life?
Jack and Joe: Our dad Keith played the drums in the band The Grass (their motto: don’t sit on it, smoke it) coming out of Bognor Regis, UK, in 1978. This is what inspired us as young lads to get into music – Jack as the older brother got to the drum kit first and Joe was relegated to bass. The future rhythm section of Wet Denim was then born.
What artists influenced you growing up?
Luca: Linkin Park, Incubus, early Coldplay, and Justin Timberlake.
Nick: The Shadows, Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, and Elvis Presley.
Joe: Kings of Leon, Pink Floyd, Donald Byrd, and Erykah Badu.
Jack: Red Hot Chili Peppers, Radiohead, and Tash Sultana.
When did you discover your passion for creating music?
Luca: I discovered my obsession with creating music when I was about 10 years old and was shown the GarageBand production software on the primary school computers. Suddenly it all clicked as I saw the visual representation of sonic layers and journeys in music – from that point onwards I would spend hours everyday arranging loops and exploring sounds.
What are some career highlights so far?
Our writing trip to Nick’s family bach in rural Aotearoa New Zealand where our track “The Why” was born is a special memory for us, and releasing the track at our first international headline show in Melbourne was one for the books.
Tell us about your new EP. What themes did you try to explore on the record?
On the Line traverses a wide range of themes including gratitude, addiction, love, longing, self perception and acceptance among others. It feels like a deeply personal record to us all in different ways, and we hope that people will find connection to the music in the same way we have.
View this post on Instagram
Are you excited for your EP tour around New Zealand? Any venues/cities you’re particularly keen to play?
We are very excited! After spending the last five months living in Naarm/Melbourne, we are ready to come back and play on home turf. Pōneke/Wellington will be a special one as it is the city Wet Denim was formed in, and we are hyped to play our new material back home.
Are there any particular tracks from your new EP that really go off live?
The On the Line closer, “Calm,” is our heaviest and most dynamic song to date, which we have had in the live circuit for a wee bit now, and it always goes off. We also can’t wait to play “Want You Here,” which is the final single from the EP. The upcoming tour will be the first time this song has ever been played live, and we can’t wait for it to go crazy.
What kind of personality traits and values do you believe it takes to succeed in the music industry?
Defining industry success is a difficult one, but we feel that creating your own definitions of success is a surefire way to have a great career, regardless of how ‘established’ you are. As long as this isn’t used as a way to set the bar so low that you never lose! (haha).
From the perspective of being a band, we think perseverance is really important. Being able to put in the hard yards in all aspects, from personal and shared musicianship, promotion, and all the business stuff.
How would you describe your music to a potential fan?
We like to describe ourselves as “Alternative Sogg-Rock” nowadays. Have a listen to our music to understand the definition of .Sogg.”
What are your goals for 2025 and beyond? What can fans expect from you this year?
We look forward to continuing to hone our songwriting, recorded material, and take our live performances to previously uncharted areas. Most importantly, we want to keep having a good time and putting in the mahi.
