The Shelves at Oweek

HANNAH POWELL | SHE/HER

Somewhere in Glover Park, sitting on a bed of grass and cigarette butts, I’ve found myself surrounded by soy sauce-tinted sushi trays and the four boys of The Shelves—Wellington’s freshest dorm-core sound. We chat some more whilst they gear up for their Valhalla show later in the night. They’ll play with the likes of Cold Ceiling, Ski Resort, and Sumi Sauce. I think it’s safe to say that The Shelves have established their sound in the local scene. 

Having formed within the walls of B Floor inside Victoria University’s Weir House, it began when Hugo and Jacob “decided to write a two minute punk song”. Soon after, they were pumping out songs quicker than they could write them. “It’s dorm-core—the sound of compressed youth in dorms,” said bassist Will after their first gig at San Fran last year. Hugo jumped in, saying “it’s the sort of tunes you’d hear coming out of your kitchen sink…kitchen sink rock ‘n’ roll”. 

The first song they wrote was what is now their popular single, "Through the City”. Exploring alcohol, drugs, and new cities, their sound is nothing short of their slice of the student experience. Their first single, “Moreish”, describes the lack of confidence to charm women and “the effects of amphetamine drugs,” telling the tale of a guy who takes a girl back to his place.  

“We wrote it in one day—Jacob had the riff already, I slapped together a beat, and we pretty much made it in twenty minutes,” Francesco said. 

The Shelves' sound is influenced by music such as the first two albums of The Arctic Monkeys, Alice in Chains, and The Strokes. Their process of creating music involves a lot of yelling and the occasional arguing. Hugo writes the lyrics, Jacob comes up with riffs, Francesco provides drumbeats and structural ideas, and Will plays the bass.

With a hiatus over summer, many new ideas have arisen. With one or two punk songs, some rock ‘n’ roll and pop, “it’s a bit of everything,” Hugo describes. “We’re gonna get to writing some new stuff pretty soon,” Francesco says. “More of the same shit, then some other things too”. When asked whether they would slide some politics into their music like other Wellington artists have, Hugo said “it would be too cringe—we’d be such posers”. 

As for the scene, they say it’s easy to get gigs—as long as you know other people. By meeting others, such as the boys of Poland Independent who organized Valhalla’s OWeek gig, all agree it opens many doors. It’s about working with others, rather than competing. In the beginning, Hugo admits
“I think we said some things that were a bit ignorant, saying ‘there’s not enough of a certain type of music that we were playing—but I think we’ve realized there’s a lot of good music that’s not the same”. 

With a plan to re-record their songs for their upcoming EP Shelf Life, we can expect a release around mid-year. A release later than they were intending, “the longer we keep them waiting, the better it’ll be,” Jacob explains. “We’re taking our time to make it better”. All of them agree it’s worth taking your time. “Rushing music is not a good idea,” Jacob says. At the end of the day, the more time you take, “the more they’ll froth [the record]”. 

With music to rock to and lyrics to shout to like the reckless and intoxicated person you are, The Shelves’ performance never disappoints. It’s fun, danceable, and light—and you’re in for a good time. As for the meaning behind their name? “The Shelves doesn’t mean a shelf that you put a book on,” says Francesco. So yes, it does mean inserting drugs into your ass.

Catch them again at Valhalla on 18 March, tickets will be announced soon.