New Signing Soft Bait Announce Sophomore Album 'Life Advice' + Share First Single 'New Leaf'

It is our absolute pleasure to welcome Soft Bait to the Flying Nun Records roster. 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.

Today, the band share the first single, 'New Leaf' — a track that picks apart gossip, group dynamics, and the mess left behind.

As vocalist Josh Hunter puts it: “New Leaf is a song about gossiping, seeking social acceptance and connection among groups. People projecting their own sense of arrogance or insecurity onto others. The lack of self-awareness to understand — or care to understand — the effect of their actions as they move onto the next drama and hysteria. Leaving the subject to pick up the pieces.”

That tension runs through the whole track. Driven by a locked-in, repetitive bass line, the new single possesses an anxious and relentless energy. Hooky and sharp like it's pacing the room, 'New Leaf' is innately loud, unfiltered and fun. It holds a mirror up to some of the messier sides of social interaction; the messiness, posturing, gossip, and the chaos we leave in our wake.

The video, created by Patrick Hickley and Jolin Lee, takes those ideas and drops them into a dusty VHS wedding from the early-90s. Stitching themselves into the celebration as the unofficial wedding band — filmed lo-fi, green screen, digi-cam style. It’s part nostalgia trip, part fever dream. A weird, funny snapshot of connection, disconnection, and everything in between.

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.

© Scoop Media