Soft Bait Share New Single/Video ‘Long Line', And Announce In-Store Performance
'Long Line' is about the baggage you didn't ask for but got anyway; bad backs, bad tempers, petty grudges passed down like family recipes. It's the sound of generational hangups with a beat you can stomp to. As Josh puts it, 'It's about self-concept, the beliefs and traits we inherit and hold onto, even when they don't serve us.' The track doesn't hold back. Pounding bass and drums grind forward with intent. Guitars jab like they're trying to start something. Then it cracks open into something big, messy, and weirdly uplifting, like yelling into the void and getting an answer back.
Directed by Ryan Fielding, and made with the support of NZ On Air Music, the video for ' Long Line ' drops the viewer into a rusted-out dream where dystopia comes with a side of deep-fried cheese. Inside a flickering future, workers grind through shifts at a neon-lit pizza parlour, jacked into glitching VR headsets. In their heads: a band caged in an industrial dive, playing to a crowd of cyber bikers from hell. It's doomscroll-era paranoia wrapped in a warped MTV fever dream, an end-of-shift hallucination with no log-off.
The band have also announced that, to celebrate their new album, they are performing a special one-off in-store at our Flying Nun Records shop on Karangahape Road in Auckland. It's free, and we reckon it'll be the hottest ticket in town — so mark Saturday 26th July @ 3PM this in your calendar now!
Soft Bait are a four-piece from Tāmaki Makaurau making pointed, off-centre post-punk that barrels forward with restless momentum. Since forming in 2020, they've built a reputation off the back of their electric live shows, sharp lyricism, and a knack for turning everyday absurdities and half-remembered pop culture into something worth shouting about.
Soft Bait's sophomore offering, 'Life Advice ' is out on the 25th July, both digitally and on black or silver vinyl LP.
Soft Bait are Joshua Hunter, Patrick Hickley, Keria Paterson and Cameron Mackintosh. Their debut album, ' Plot Points' (2022), introduced a sound that blends gothic post-punk with personal, powerful vocals. The album's singles, Big' and ' True Stories ', topped SRN radio charts, and their live shows have been described as 'exhilarating, raucous, lively, punky, and so much fun.'
Now part of the Flying Nun Records family, Soft Bait is set to release their sophomore album, 'Life Advice' on July 25th. A sharp, hook-heavy record with chugging bass lines, restless energy, and tightly wound turns. The songs dig into online weirdness, Kiwi archetypes, and the quiet rituals we fall into without realising. Lyrically, it's full of lines that land like overheard wisdom from a mate you probably shouldn't be taking advice from — half true, half twisted, and still ringing in your ears the next day.
If your record shelf includes Viagra Boys, Squid, Warmduscher, or Yard Act, Soft Bait delivers a raw, unfiltered take on the post-punk genre, grounded in Kiwi culture and the peculiarities of everyday life.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scoop
05-08-2025
- Scoop
Nau Mai, Haere Mai - Everyone Welcome To Connect Over Boil-Up In Capital
A hearty winter boil-up will take centre stage in Wellington this week, as rising young Māori chefs and artists join forces with charity Everybody Eats to dish up nourishing kai and cultural connection at a one-night-only pop-up at LTD. Chef Josh Hunter (Ngāti Tūwharetoa) of Whakapapa of Your Kai will deliver the koha-based event alongside artist Ngaio Cowell (Ngaati te Ata te Waiohua, Waikato, Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Whātua), aiming to introduce the traditional boil-up to a new generation of fans. Josh and Mitchell Tierney (Ngāti Awa, Te Arawa) founded Whakapapa of Your Kai to honour Māori cuisine and create space for others to explore te ao Māori through kai. For Josh, boil up is more than a meal – it's a vessel of cultural heritage. 'Some of my earliest memories are of a pot bubbling away at home or having it on the marae – and fighting with my cousins over who got the most doughboys. I wouldn't think much of it back then, but now I crave it. 'It's a connection to our ancestors and our community. It's wholesome and reminds us who we are,' he says. The event is part of this year's Visa Wellington On a Plate programme. The menu will include a traditional pork stew with ham hock doughboys, followed by Black Doris plums with a charcoal-steeped custard, offering a taste similar to roasted marshmallows. Ngaio has worked with the chefs over several years to create events that reconnect Māori with the whakapapa of their kai in an accessible, no-frills way. 'With urbanisation, many of us have lost that link to the land and our food traditions. These events aim to reclaim that connection and provide a space for whānau to eat well. 'This is why we wanted to work with Everybody Eats; their kaupapa aligned with our values and beliefs for what these events should be - about doing the mahi to ensure everyone can be at the table,' she says. Founded in 2019, Everybody Eats has been a charity partner of Visa Wellington On a Plate for over five years. The innovative restaurant model offers three-course meals made from rescued food, featuring a pay-what-you-can model that aims to reduce food waste and address food insecurity across three restaurants in Tāmaki Makaurau and Te Whanganui-a-Tara. Food is Love is the theme of Visa Wellington On a Plate 2025, and Festival Director Beth Brash says events like this are at the heart of the country's biggest food festival. 'The connections we share over kai are some of the most important, and to have a space where everyone is welcome to the nourishment of a shared boil-up - there is no greater connector. 'Offering a meal that is so deeply tied to culture and community means we're not just feeding people; it's strengthening bonds and passing on a legacy of generosity and cultural pride,' says Josh. The Boil Up is being delivered in partnership with Everybody Eats at Ltd on 7 August from 6 to 8 pm. This event is koha-based; guests will pay what they can to ensure everyone can be at the table. You can find out more about the Visa WOAP 2025 programme highlights and ticket information here. About Visa Wellington a Plate Visa Wellington On a Plate is one of the southern hemisphere's most significant and boldest food festivals. From burgers and cocktails to chef collaborations and immersive experiences, it showcases the best of the Wellington region's producers, venues, and creative talent. Brought to you by the not-for-profit Wellington Culinary Events Trust, VWOAP is a festival dedicated to supporting and celebrating the capital's hospitality industry. Find out more here
Scoop
30-07-2025
- Scoop
Trailer Unveiled For Aotearoa Music Documentary ‘Life In One Chord'
Press Release – 818. Audiences in Aotearoa are invited to experience Life in One Chord, the highly anticipated documentary which puts the spotlight on indie music icon Shayne Carter (Straitjacket Fits, Dimmer), directed by Margaret Gordon (Into The Void). The film's official trailer debuts today, ahead of its World Premiere at Whānau Mārama: New Zealand International Film Festival in Ōtepoti Dunedin on August 16 at the Regent Theatre. Screenings then continue across the country as part of NZIFF with sessions already sold out in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. The film has its theatrical release with a limited run from Father's Day weekend, September 4. Life in One Chord charts Carter's odyssey from suburban Dunedin to international recognition as a punk pioneer, interweaving personal stories, archival footage, and reflections on the enduring Dunedin Sound. What emerges is an irreverent, heartfelt portrait of an artist who shaped New Zealand music and culture. After watching the film in full recently, Shayne says; ' It was intense watching your life and your people flash before your eyes like that, but it was straight up and in a lot of places just made me laugh. So that's good.' Director Margaret Gordon – who is no stranger to making film on Aotearoa music history – describes the film as a likeness to Shayne's music style; 'The film, like the music, often has a DIY flavour, and I think this lends it authenticity as well as a sense of whimsy and fun,' says director Margaret Gordon. Bringing her distinctive voice to the documentary, the film is narrated by esteemed veteran broadcaster Carol Hirschfeld, the documentary features interviews and scenes from throughout Carter's formative years—including early gigs, community archives courtesy of Flying Nun Records, and a candid selfassessment of his legacy in rock history. Distributed by Madman in New Zealand and Australia, produced by Rick Harvie (Maurice & I) with original music by Jackson Harry, Life in One Chord is a labour of passion — made over seven years from dedicated creatives and with support from the New Zealand Film Commission.
Scoop
24-07-2025
- Scoop
OUT NOW: Soft Bait 'Life Advice' Plus Video For Album Track 'Sooner'
Today, Tāmaki Makaurau four-piece Soft Bait release their sophomore album, Life Advice, out now via Flying Nun Records. In support, the band have also announced a release tour of Aotearoa - with shows in Te Whanganui-a-Tara, Tāmaki Makaurau, Ōtautahi and Ōtepoti. Soft Bait have been producing off-centre post-punk since their formation in 2020, only sharpening their output since the release of Plot Points - their debut LP released in 2022. Barrelling forward with restless momentum, new album Life Advice is sharp, hook-heavy rock - locomotive bass-lines and live-wire energy fused with musings of online weirdness, distinct Kiwi-isms, and wider reflections on the quiet rituals we fall into, or inherit, without releasing. Life Advice is available worldwide digitally and on vinyl, Standard Silver or on Limited Edition Flying Nun Black. Along with the release and announcement of a nationwide tour, Soft Bait also share a new music video for album focus-track and uneasy-anthem ' Sooner ' where they trade speed for sway; steady, and suspicious. ' Bring in the good news' sings front-man Joshua Hunter - a final manifestation in the face of collective unrest and collapse Life Advice lands like well-meaning wisdom from a mate you definitely shouldn't be taking advice from - half true, half twisted, but still ringing in your ears the next day. The first single, ' New Leaf ' dropped on May 22, followed by ' Long Line ' on July 3rd - both picking up momentum locally and worldwide, with streaming numbers reaching a new height for the band and play on BBC Radio 6. For fans of Viagra Boys, Squid, Warmduscher, and Yard Act, Soft Bait deliver a raw, unfiltered take on the post-punk genre, grounded in Kiwi culture and the peculiarities of everyday life. Soft Bait are Joshua Hunter, Patrick Hickley, Keria Paterson and Cameron Mackintosh. Their debut album, ' Plot Points' (2022), introduced a sound that blends gothic post-punk with personal, powerful vocals. The album's singles, Big' and ' True Stories ', topped SRN radio charts, and their live shows have been described as "exhilarating, raucous, lively, punky, and so much fun." Now part of the Flying Nun Records family, Soft Bait have now released their sophomore album, 'Life Advice'. A sharp, hook-heavy record with chugging bass lines, restless energy, and tightly wound turns. The songs dig into online weirdness, Kiwi archetypes, and the quiet rituals we fall into without realising. Lyrically, it's full of lines that land like overheard wisdom from a mate you probably shouldn't be taking advice from — half true, half twisted, and still ringing in your ears the next day.
