Written by Wolves are one of New Zealand’s fastest rising rock acts, with a growing international fanbase. Their hits Elastic Heart, Not Afraid To Die and Genius have clocked millions on Spotify, with their videos doing similar damage on YouTube. Their recently-released EP Prologue has also earned the band critical acclaim. We spoke to them about how they formed, how long they have been together and what's coming up for Written by Wolves:

How did you originally form as a band? Where are you guys from originally?

Davie, Bahador, Karl and I had all been friends for a long time and had always talked about starting something together, but timing had never worked out. In late 2014 after both, 5Star Fallout and Shotgun Alley had been finished for a while we all got together to talk about starting something new and immediately got excited about what everyone wanted to try and do. After a year or so we were looking at adding a 5th member to bump up the percussion and electronic side of our live show and that is when we met Oli - we asked him to join without even seeing him play. Huge mistake, but we are stuck with him now... I'm joking, we got super lucky that he is awesome...

I grew up in Taupo, Oli in Dunedin and Davie, Bahador and Karl grew up in Auckland - the latter two via various exotic birthplaces....

How long has your band been together? How did you come up with the name Written by Wolves?

We first talked about starting the band in 2014 but released our first track in May of 2015. No one is completely in agreeance as to how the name came about, however, I am pretty sure it came from one of our early writing sessions at Davie's home studio. He has these cute as hell dogs that kinda look like mini wolves and they wandered into the studio, jumped up on the chair and looked as though they were about to run the show... 

Which artists have been your most influence to you as a band? And how did you come up with your style of music?

A big part of the band's inception was about taking a real cinematic approach to the music and building soundscapes and one of our big influences for this was, Hans Zimmer. We all have vast and varied influences that have helped to hone our sound to where it is today but the idea of trying to approach the songs from a cinematic perspective and to also include aspects from all of our favourite genres is the driving force behind the band and it's sound.

What are your favourite venues and cities to play on tour? What's the weirdest experience you've had on tour?

We have been lucky enough to have played some amazing shows in some amazing places around the country - we are always surprised and so stoked when we get to a town we haven't played before and there are people in the crowd singing along at the top of their lungs and giving it everything. All of the venues on the Devilskin and Blindspott tours last year were amazing but it is hard to go past the Powerstation and Logan Campbell Centre for bucket list stages. In saying that The Royal in Palmerston North was amazing on the Devilskin Tour. One of the smaller venues on the tour but an epic crowd and huge energy.

We have had some pretty funny moments on tour so far, we stayed at this insanely dodgy motel in Lower Hutt on the Devilskin tour where we were approached by a resident while getting in some post gig drinks and told it wasn't safe and we shouldn't be outside without knives... We decided to risk it without knives and luckily enough, all lived to tell the tale... But the best one so far was probably in Nelson on the Blindspott tour, it was a pretty epic night that ended in both Karl and I being punched out of nowhere and then all of us being escorted out of the bar... Not sure of the logic the bouncer employed there but it definitely made for a hilarious night...

Where can people find your music? 

Spotify, YouTube or Facebook are pretty good places to start but if you search our name in whatever platform tickles your fancy then you should find us pretty quickly...

What's coming up music wise in the near future for Written by Wolves? What inspires the music you make?

We are currently writing and recording our debut album which will be out this year! Look out for the first single from that coming very soon...

Inspiration for writing can be pretty varied and vast - especially when we are in writing mode and writing a lot of music over a short space of time. Lyrical inspiration for me generally comes from things that are happening in my life or observations I make of the world around me, however one of our tunes is about a cowboy in a shoot-out and I have never actually been one of those...

What tours do you have coming up? And what is it like touring with other bands?

We don't currently have tour dates set in stone, but we will definitely be touring this year once the album drops... Touring with other bands is such a great part of being in a band - they generally result in lifelong friendships and hilarious stories to tell...

What advice would you give new musicians starting in the music industry?

• 1
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• 5
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  L.A.B.
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  Devilskin
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  Coridian
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  The Boondocks
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  Late to Chelsea

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  LOST BiRD @ Space Academy, Christchurch - 15/12/2024
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  Dream Chambers @ Meow Nui, Wellington - 14/12/2024
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  The Phoenix Foundation @ Meow Nui, Wellington - 14/12/2024

• 1
  APT.
  ROSÉ And Bruno Mars
• 2
  DIE WITH A SMILE
  Lady Gaga And Bruno Mars
• 3
  BIRDS OF A FEATHER
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• 4
  TASTE
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• 5
  I LOVE YOU, I'M SORRY
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• 6
  ESPRESSO
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• 7
  SAILOR SONG
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• 8
  LOSE CONTROL
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• 9
  A BAR SONG (TIPSY)
  Shaboozey
• 10
  GOOD LUCK, BABE!
  Chappell Roan

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