Equal parts cinematic and diaristic, Soft Plastics draws from a rich array of longstanding guitar music traditions: shoegaze, breezy garage punk, and jangle-pop, with some doo-wop-inspired girl group sensibilities thrown in the mix for good measure. Swathed in moody twilight chords and autumnal melancholia provided by guitarist Jonathan Shirley, frontwoman/bassist Sophie Scott-Maunder’s songwriting reflects the distance between expectations and reality, hard-won personal growth and the unvarnished realities of adult life. Rounding things out, drummer Laura Robinson keeps the beat solid, deep and driving.

Since forming in Te Whanganui a Tara, Aotearoa (Wellington, New Zealand) in 2020, the three-piece indie rock band have recorded and released a series of well-received singles, a self-titled EP and their acclaimed debut album, Saturn Return. Along the way, they’ve performed at dive bars and venues around the county, shared showbills with New Zealand music legends like SILICON, Wax Chattels, King Sweeties, Fur Patrol and The Beths, and landed prime-time indie festival bookings at The Others Way, CubaDupa, Newtown Festival, Rad Fest, Welcome To Nowhere and Slow Note.

‘Saturn Return’ was nominated for the best independent debut at the 2024 Taite Music Prize.

"Soft Plastics’ unhurried sound feels like a lush antidote to the addictive rush of so much modern music" - Rolling Stone Aus

"Soft Plastics are one of those bands who are going to go places" - Karyn Hay, RNZ