Soft Plastics | Te Ahi Top 10

Based in Te Whanganui-a-Tara, Soft Plastics have been beginning to make a name for themselves regularly topping student radio charts. Consisting of Sophie Scott-Maunder, Jonathan Shirley, and Laura Robinson the indie-rock trio have put out their brooding new single ‘Loozer’.

After taking out the top spot on the latest Te Ahi Top 10, we caught up with the band to chat about how they got started, their new track and future plans.

Check out the interview below.

Hey there! Congrats on taking out the top spot on this week’s Te Ahi Top 10 with your song ‘Loozer’! Can you tell us a little bit more about who you are and what you do?

Soft Plastics are Sophie Scott-Maunder (bass and vocals), Jonathan Shirley (guitar), and Laura Robinson (drums and vocals). We are an indie rock trio based in Te Whanganui-a-Tara, Aotearoa (Wellington, NZ).

So a couple of you were in the group ‘Beatcomber’, before getting together to form ‘Soft Plastics’. Can you tell me a little bit more about how ‘Soft Plastics’ came to be?

Jono and I used to be in Beatcomber together which disbanded in 2018 when everyone moved cities or overseas. Soft Plastics formed when I came back to Wellington and convinced Jono to start another band. Naturally, Jono claimed lead guitar and I picked up the bass so that we could be a three-piece. We got together with Laura, our drummer, at the end of 2019 and it’s been all go since then!

‘Soft Plastics’ is quite a unique name, how did that come about?

Soft Plastics was our team name at the Monday night quiz at Moon in Newtown. We couldn’t come up with anything better so it just stuck. 

‘Loozer’ is quite a brooding track, can you tell me a bit more about the meaning of the track?

The general theme of the song is about self-sabotaging situations and making decisions based on wants rather than needs. It encompasses this idea of knowing that something is a mistake but going ahead and doing it anyway. I think most people can relate to that!

Your second single ‘My World/Your Girl’ was a bit of a smash hit, hitting number one on the SRN charts. What was it like seeing that success?

My World/Your Girl was written and recorded within a couple of weeks and its release was almost unintentional. We were surprised at the response as it is a pretty sad song and not what is usually considered single material. The song came straight from the heart and nothing feels better than turning heartache into success!

You’re currently undertaking a tour promoting the song, how’s that all going?

We are in the midst of our North Island tour which keeps our weekends pretty busy. Our Whanganui show was a lot of fun and we love visiting our pals up there. We played Rad Fest this weekend in Wellington with some of our favourite bands including Na Noise and Linen. The following week we’ll be hanging out in Auckland doing a cheeky instore show at Flying Out and headlining Whammy with Being and Bub. Fair to say that we’re pretty busy!

You guys have put out a slew of singles now, is there an album in the works at all?

Funny you should mention that… We have something in the works but no formal announcement yet. Watch this space!

What does the rest of 2021 have in store for you?

More writing, more gigs, more recording, maybe a video… We are feeling the South Island love at the moment so we are keen to come back down to play a few shows later in the year too!

You can check out ‘Loozer’ below.

The Te Ahi Top 10 is our weekly chart as voted by YOU, our audience! Presented live every Thursday 3 – 4pm on RDU 98.5FM. 

To vote for the Te Ahi Top 10 simply download the RDUnited app and click the like icon for a track you love when it’s played on air. The tune with the most likes each week will be crowned the winner! Simple as that.