Wellington band Underwire have built a reputation for cranking live sets and punchy earworm songs, and their new single ‘Wish I Was A Cowboy’ keeps their genre-shattering spirit front and centre.
‘Wish I Was A Cowboy’ is a primal countrypunk howl for simpler times, the deep-seated wish to be somewhere or someone else that we can all relate to. “It ain’t rocket scientology but it sure is good fun!” says songwriter Johnny Mills. “Some songs just beam in, if you’re lucky, and that’s how ‘Cowboy’ came along”
Shades of rawhide, beans and badlands, and echoes of Gene Krupa - add the wizardry of producer Scott Seabright and you’ve got a weapon of the old warped west. With 8 singles now in the world, Underwire have been recording with Scott again, and will release their debut album later this year.
Underwire play like they mean it, with a distinctly fun, stormy, alt-rock sound – hints of surf punk, garage rock, swampy blues, psychobilly and ska. Formed from the collision of Clash and Pixies covers bands, Underwire quickly became a popular live act on the energetic Wellington indie music scene. Since their debut single ‘Gravity’ in 2023, Underwire have released a string of singles produced by Scott Seabright; clocked up over 27,000 YouTube views of their self-made videos; received airplay on indie radio around New Zealand, Australia, the US, UK, and mainland Europe; and have spent more than 12 months on Apple’s global New Rock and other playlists.
In their current lineup, Underwire features members of Wazzo Ghoti / Wazzo Clash, Proxies, Shanakie, and Head Like a Hole: with founding members Johnny Mills (guitar, vocals), Jane Brimblecombe (vocals), and Mark ‘Spike’ Roxburgh (guitar, vocals) being joined by Mark Hamill (drums), and Steve Tremewan (bass)