New Way Home interview
By Dave Borgioli-Jones | 16 August 2025
New Zealand alt-metal heavyweights NEW WAY HOME are back in business!
After a hiatus lasting over 10 years, the band is playing shows again and spending time in the studio working on more new material than you can shake a cowbell at.
It couldn’t have come at a better time. Their unique sonic attack of thickly toned riffage and ambience brings fresh energy to a scene ready for something new.
Frontman Richie Simpson shares an update on the band, offers wisdom for budding musicians, and tells what might just be the most metal story ever told by a New Zealand act.
NZRock: You packed out your first show in a long time at Double Whammy recently. I missed that show and I’m gutted I will miss the Hamilton one as well, so I need to live through you for this one. What does it feel like to play live with NEW WAY HOME again after 10 years?
Richie: Was a very fun one dude! There will be heaps more so don’t fret. I think the band feels different. More solid and with a better understanding of how our tones work together. There is more sound pressure if that makes sense. More weight. Having Joe Brownless on board the drums has added significant power to things. Zorran our old guitarist said it sounds like our music was supposed to sound.
NZRock: What inspired you to kick things off again with NEW WAY HOME?
Richie: General discontent with the way things are in modern metal. Many bands sounding similar. Everyone sharing guitar sounds, drum replacement using the same samples and the influence pool being so narrow that a lot of it has become a homogenised replication of itself. We all felt an obligation to do it our way and draw from a deeper pool of influence. A whole backlog of unique material started being shared round and a lot of it was too good to ignore so we went about recruitment.
NZRock: What is the current band lineup, has anything changed there?
Richie: We have three original members from 2002 and have added two incredible new players. James Hiatt Armour on guitar, a brilliant talent and drummer Joe Brownless of KORA fame. Both have slotted in like it’s always been that way. Incredible musicians. No audition required. Gifts from the universe!
NZRock: You were in the studio a year ago. Where, what and with whom have you been recording. Is there a new NEW WAY HOME album in the pipeline?
Richie: There is. We have 46 demos. We’ve recorded drums for ‘Tides’ and our new single in studio with Zorran Mendonsa and Troy McKubre (SOLSTATE) at Old North Studios in Kumeu. Whittling away at the demos with a first single out September 2025.
NZRock: You’ve given us a demo for ‘Island’ which is a heavy number and I can’t wait to hear the full track. Has anything changed since the band was last active in terms of the musical direction. Will you still incorporate the ambient stuff as well?
Richie: Yes a few of the demos are up on our new Instagram just click on our faces. Yep our sound has refined more but the fundamentals of groove, melody and ambience are still there. James writes a lot of stuff similar to the emotive ambient things Zorran used to contribute as well as raw heavy groove so it’s very exciting. We’re only just beginning to tap into the depth of his added influence. Joe is also a great writer and multi instrumentalist so it’s the first time the band has had all five members able to contribute music.
NZRock: Of the new material that you’ve been performing live and other tracks your fans might not have heard yet, what are your favourites – just so we know what to look out for.
Richie: We’re only performing two new ones live. ‘Sirens’ and ‘The Oath’. Both feel great. There is a lot of rad sounding demos though so it’s going to be as broad a sound as we’ve always had if not broader. Two very unique ones that sound like nothing else before are temp labeled ‘Arabian Night’ and ‘Giants’.
NZRock: What does success look like for NEW WAY HOME, where do you want to take the band this time around?
Richie: To be able to afford to record properly with live drums and guitars like we have for our latest single. To find our broader audience and make a difference in their lives just as our idols have done for us. To be respected by those we respect and meet like minds. But most of all, to make music that respects our influences by evolving them into something only recognisable as NEW WAY HOME.
NZRock: Back in the day you played ‘Tides’ unplugged on The Rock FM. Would you consider doing something like this again as a live performance?
Richie: Most definitely. It’s just a case of finding out which of the new ones will translate.
NZRock: I’m always excited to hear new guitar chops that you post on Facebook. I know you’re right into the downtuned and heavy chonk of Devin Townsend, HELMET, DEFTONES etc. Have you found that perfect tone yet, is it an eternal chase?
Richie: Cheers man. Devin, HELMET and DEFTONES are all part of my DNA. I contribute a few guitar ideas to NWH even though I’m the singer. Tone hunting is an eternal chase, with so many parts in the signal chain affecting it. My trouble is needing it to be unique. I have been closest with an amp called a Splawn Nitro but mostly because I dialed it in a unique way, very little gain, lots of volume with a unique upper mid range forward pickup. Extremely dry and punchy, hyper aggressive and revealing… quite different to your standard go to of Mesa, Marshall 5150. Seller regret.
Engl is also a unique tone that is not as over used as say something like a 5150 and Monk our other guitarist is very attuned to those amp voicings.
‘Mirrors’ was done with a Splawn Nitro through an Orange 4×12 but in an isolation booth which made the sound a little boxier than I’d like. I would say I could get the ultimate tone with a Splawn Nitro and Engl Savage MkII 120 through an Orange 4×12 or Mesa straight front traditional.
NZRock: What happened to CITY OF SOULS? Winning Best Rock Artist at the 2020 Aotearoa Music Awards was pretty epic. Are there plans to continue on with that band as well?
Richie: After the award we had COVID hit and our DEFTONES show was canceled. Multiple attempts to make shows happen got stalled and it just slowly dissolved. People moved away. Differing musical personalities in some ways too. People wanting different things. I did feel myself missing my NEW WAY HOME homies and that particular chemistry. It was a natural disbanding of CITY OF SOULS. Very proud of that album and achievement though, definitely learned a lot in that band. NEW WAY HOME is the band I was always meant to be in. No doubt.
NZRock: ‘Mirrors’ is one of NZ’s most iconic alt pieces of music for me. I know this because the hairs stand up on the back of my neck when I find a copy at the record store. It’s not easy to find which makes it extra cool. Would you consider a re-release? I think a lot of people would be down for a vinyl copy.
Richie: Yes that’s the aim! Arm hairs or you’re nowhere. KORN called it “got a watch” because you look at your arm hairs standing up when music is powerful. Glad we had that effect on you! In terms of ‘Mirrors’ we are trying to pool some money for a remaster or even a remix. We retracked drums for ‘Tides’ with Joe and it sounds SO much better. It’s just a question of finances which slow things a bit. Vinyl could happen too if we get it sounding right. New stuff is the focus now.
NZRock: ‘Autumn’ has 15,000 views on YouTube, ‘Tides’ has 19,000. I feel that these tracks are criminally under heard. When you think about NWH and getting the word out there, do you want to leverage the old stuff or prefer people to find it by osmosis? Would you ever revisit any of the past material in terms of recording?
Richie: It would be nice to have broader recognition but at the same time one connection is just as powerful as many to that one person.
The odd track may get Joe’s drums, definitely remaster as above. The new music will speak just as loudly as ‘Mirrors’ though so we will not be resting on our laurels.
NZRock: Further to this, one of our Wellington based readers (and long time NEW WAY HOME fan) Reon asks “Why the fuck is none of your stuff on Spotify or Apple?”. I have noticed this too even though you can see the album and tracklist in the background on Spotify’s website.
Richie: We were with Warner Music, they took it down when we left. It’s just a case of re-uploading but we’d like to do it with a remaster or even remix if we can. It may not need it. It will happen either way.
NZRock: There was a real weight to the scene when ‘Mirrors’ came out – bands like COBRA KHAN, FROZEN ALICE, NEW WAY HOME. As Jerry Cantrell said, “there’s no going back to the place we started from,” but I’m pumped to see NEW WAY HOME back for another burn. How do you look back on that time, and how does it feel returning now?
Richie: Interestingly I just listened to that lyric from Jerry as mix reference for our new single. What a song! ALICE IN CHAINS are huge influences of ours. The mix on ‘All Secrets Known’ is so immersive. Magic. Put some headphones on and listen to that track loud. Beautiful and poignant intro to their first non Layne album.
As far as that era of NZ music I don’t get too nostalgic for that time because I feel nwh are heading towards something even more exciting with our sound. I do miss COBRA KHAN and our bigger group of friends sometimes tho. If you haven’t heard ‘In Frays’ or ‘Shutter’ or ‘Liquid Separation’ do yourself a favour.
Both their full lengths are some of the best music to ever come out of New Zealand.
NZRock: A couple of years ago, you entered a comp to do vocals on the ‘Agrimotor’ track by Fredrik Thordendal of MESHUGGAH fame. That sounded epic and although you didn’t win, did you get any feedback from Fredrik?
Richie: Yeah he dug it and said it was different to any others. He had given me the tempo so I could synch delays too.
I never found out who won tho! It was by vote so who knows, probably an influencer. My version is still up on YouTube.
NZRock: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given from another band or otherwise?
Richie: “Be yourself let them know who you are” Gavin Downy said that to me before the first time I got up on stage as a teenager at Papa Jack’s in the nineties. I’ve never forgotten it. Paul Gray of Slipknot said “don’t ask don’t get” on us being selected as their opening act.
NZRock: What’s the best piece of advice from you?
Richie: A few pieces that might help from a vocal perspective. Blend your influence. Keep it wide and soak it all in. Don’t be afraid to use something you took from massive attack in a metal song. If you are a singer treat the music as a conversation between elements, find your path with melody and word shapes then let the lyrics find you… don’t try and force your existing lyrics where they don’t belong. If the structure isn’t allowing conversation to flow, change the structure. Write in the room, loud with the band. So you don’t get a rude awakening when it doesn’t work live because your lungs can’t keep up. Don’t be afraid to leave space. Most of all listen listen listen and have fun. Be original be yourself.
NZRock: In Palmerston North someone was stabbed in the ass cheek at a MOTÖRHEAD gig… we’ve all seen the cover of HEAD LIKE A HOLE’s ‘Blood on the Honky Tonk Floor’. What’s the most epic thing that’s happened at a NEW WAY HOME show (it doesn’t have to involve bloodshed)?
Richie: I’ve never been stabbed in the ass (not with a knife anyway lololol) but I played an entire set with a burst ball vein. Blood pouring into my shoes. Valhalla Wellington. Nearly fainted. Wound up in A&E. Then our drummer vomited out of his top bunk onto our guitarist’s head in the backpackers. It was all clear and gross. It set off a puke chain reaction. Great night.
NZRock: That’s so out of it. How did that happen? Ironically one of my first interviews was with a band called RAGE from Germany and the guitarist’s testicle had exploded on stage.
Richie: Oh man the balls? Yeah glad to know it wasn’t just me haha. Basically I had dried my nuts too hard at the backpackers after using only bar soap on them for that whole week of tour… I had unknowingly burst a blood vessel and it was ten minutes before we were due to go on! I lost a whole lot of blood during the show and it was in my shoe and down my leg I was so faint by the time our set had ended and didn’t realise till I got off stage I’d been profusely bleeding the whole time!
NZRock: That’s brutal, but I’m sure Buck Shelford would be proud. Unrelated to testicles or mortality, if you could pull together any band lineup in the world with artists living or dead who would it be with and why?
Richie: RIP buck. I would go nineties era Dimebag on guitar, the goat. Eighties era Hetfield second guitar and BVs. Nineties era Maynard Keenan and Layne Staley on dual main vocals. Nineties era Vinnie Paul drums (or current Eloy Casagrande). Nineties era Rex Brown on bass. Yeah you KNOW that shit would bang. To be honest just time freeze early to mid nineties PANTERA and let them crank out records forever in my dreams. Perfect band at their peak.
NZRock: Do you know of any bands that have been inspired by NEW WAY HOME? I still consider you a relatively young band but it seems you already have a “legacy” behind you.
Richie: A few bands have told us we have influenced them. It’s never been in a full rip off way either. Just adding a string to a bow. Which is cool. I love to hear it especially when it’s tasteful. PULL DOWN THE SUN say we have been an influence and I dig their stuff. Good dudes too. They sound nothing like us so the influence has obviously gone in and been stirred up well… As it should be.
NZRock: What is your favourite NEW WAY HOME song to play and why?
Richie: ‘Paper Hearts’. It grooves so hard. We extended the outro live now and it’s hypnotic. It moves like a snake, I can go missing in it. It was also about hanging mini paper hearts on strings with lovely messages above my mum’s bed when she was dying in hospice. As she passed away one single heart fell from the ceiling and floated down on her. It was a super poetic and emotional moment that burnt into my memory. That song is painful but it feels triumphant and beautiful too.
NZRock: What other bands are you and the NEW WAY HOME band members involved with?
Richie: Members have ended up in all sorts of bands from BLINDSPOTT, BLACKLISTT, EIGHT FOOT SATIVA to KORA, to our bassist being in the RODGER FOX BAND, an extremely high profile jazz outfit. It’s time for us to be in the sun though I reckon.
NZRock: Thanks for doing the interview. I hope the Hamilton show at Last Place is as epic as the Double Whammy one looked!
Richie: Cheers man thanks for having me! Double Whammy was a great welcome back. Looking forward to hitting our Hamtown homies on the 29th! We are on our way.
See New Way Home live in Hamilton
New Way Home and Erase Everything Single Release Show
Fri 29 Aug 2025
Last Place, Hamilton
