Warning: This article discusses heavy subject matter including suicide.
“Do you remember all those boys? All that’s left are their worn-out shoes.” Ripley croons in Auckland rock band Capricore’s latest single Yeah Nah Yeah – the line referencing when 606 empty pairs of shoes were displayed in Blenheim in 2017, each pair belonging to victims of suicide in NZ. The song itself sounds like a Kiwiana-driven pub-rock anthem, but read between the lines and it becomes an intense deconstruction and analysis of New Zealand’s mental health struggles and complicated culture.
Though the track was recorded at The Chapel Studios in 2025, frontman Aidan Ripley originally wrote the song at age sixteen as part of a music composition assessment in high school. Little did he know at the time, the song would become a live favourite amongst Capricore’s fanbase. “I was quite frustrated back then when the assignment said I had to write the song about home… as in my country. I thought it was a boring subject. But then I dug deep into what it meant to me to be a New Zealander. At first it was light-hearted, fun stuff, but suddenly all these intense subjects came rising to the surface.”
From alcoholism, to toxic sports culture, to the cultural impact the Gallipoli Campaign had on the country post-WWI – this track does not shy away from its heavy themes. Yet at the same time, the lyrics also paint a simple, humbling image: a day-to-day reality of living in an isolated, smaller nation, where people get on with their lives without any fuss. A land of “lush and green” where everyone lives in one shared community.
The band stated that they wished to open up conversations relating to mental health struggles in NZ with the song’s subject matter: “There’s very much this ‘get on with it,’ ‘chin up,’ and ‘don’t stand out’ kind of attitude in this country, which can sometimes be a good thing. Many historians link this ingrained cultural way of being to our role in the war and how we found strength to persevere. However, it gets to a point where it feels like, when we’re brushing things off with ‘yeah nah,’ what we really want to say is ‘I’m not coping.’” Yeah Nah Yeah is not a satirical attack on Kiwi culture, but rather an encouragement for New Zealanders to be open about their feelings and show compassion and empathy toward one another’s experiences. It asks us to listen to those who are calling out for support.
Ripley stated that when writing the song in 2020, he was looking through an array of high statistics on suicide in New Zealand, particularly among younger males. Six years later, the subject remains concerningly relevant. A 2025 report from UNICEF indicated that New Zealand has the highest child suicide rate among 36 OECD/EU countries.
Capricore will be donating all sales from the digital single to Youthline, an organisation that has been providing support to Kiwis aged 12–24 for more than 50 years. The Yeah Nah Yeah music video, set to release after the single drop, was filmed at Sheep World alongside the Springboard team, an organisation that supports rangatahi who have faced hardships to build a better future for themselves. Capricore’s drummer, Jerrick Wilcox, was an ex-pupil who went through their programme.
“I was bullied a lot in school, and my whole life I’ve been judged for my FASD (fetal alcohol syndrome) and ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder). I hope this song raises awareness to support others who had a hard time in their younger years like I did,” Wilcox said.
Yeah Nah Yeah releases 24th April 2026 and is available for pre-order now via Bandcamp.
All profits from the track to toward youth suicide prevention in Aotearoa (Youthline NZ)
