Villainy

Villainy have spent over a decade establishing themselves as one of Aotearoa’s most commanding rock bands. The Auckland four-piece – Neill Fraser (vocals, guitar), James Dylan (bass), Dave Johnston (drums) and Thom Watts (lead guitar) – built that standing the old-fashioned way: through records that land with impact and a live show central to the band’s identity and commitment to performance.

From the beginning, the goal was simple. Write songs that connect, perform with conviction, and make audiences feel part of the experience.

Formed in Auckland in 2011, Villainy quickly established themselves as a formidable live act. Years of touring sharpened the band’s instincts – songs are written with movement, tension and dynamics in mind, designed to create moments in a room full of people.

Their 2012 debut Mode. Set. Clear. arrived with impact, debuting at No.8 on the New Zealand charts and winning Best Rock Album at the AMA’s. Dead Sight followed in 2015, a darker, more immediate record that reached No.4. By the time Raised in the Dark arrived in 2019 – debuting at No.2 and earning another Best Rock Artist award – Villainy had achieved something rare: every full-length release landing both critical recognition and a loyal audience.

Across streaming platforms their catalogue has now surpassed 12 million streams, a testament to songs continuing to find listeners well beyond their original release cycles.
Looking back across those three albums, there is a clear thread: musical impact through strong hooks, dynamic arrangements and purposeful songwriting, paired with a narrative voice that has grown more reflective over time.

The way Villainy write has evolved along the way. Early on, ideas were shaped slowly and meticulously. Now the process moves faster – a riff, melody or fragment from any member might spark a track, quickly pushed into shape before being pulled apart again until the strongest version emerges.

What hasn’t changed is the bond between the four members. Villainy has always been something they’ve built together – less a career calculation than a shared creative project that has grown through years of touring, recording and life beyond the band.

They have shared stages with global acts including AC/DC, Incubus, Papa Roach, Halestorm and Billy Talent, while continuing to tour extensively across Aotearoa. That connection with audiences has become one of Villainy’s defining strengths – built through repeat visits, packed rooms and songs that hit hardest live.

The 2024 single Miles Away was a reminder of that relationship, holding the No.1 spot on the New Zealand Rock Radio Chart for eight consecutive weeks and reaffirming the band’s place within the country’s rock landscape.

Coming off a run of shows the following year, the band had a renewed surge of momentum. Playing live again sharpened the appetite – both theirs and their audience’s – for what comes next.

Writing for their fourth album began with that energy in mind. Where earlier records emerged from bursts of material or sprawling song lists, Villainy took a more deliberate approach, shaping a body of work with a stronger sonic and thematic thread.

One of the first glimpses of that chapter arrives in the single Happy Waste, a track capturing many of the elements long associated with the band: scale, melody, vulnerability and raw power. Lyrically, it reflects on the masks people wear – the outward confidence that can hide uncertainty beneath the surface.

For Villainy, the next chapter isn’t about revisiting old ground. After more than a decade together, the motivation remains the same as it was in those early Auckland rehearsal rooms: keep evolving, keep pushing the songs further, and keep bringing audiences along for the ride.

Villainy aren’t here to coast.

If anything, they sound more driven than ever.