The Capri-lore
Founding members Aidan Ripley and Jerrick Wilcox toured the Auckland scene as a two piece in their early teens under multiple aliases such as The Walking Birds and Free the Frequency. After making a name for themselves they settled as Capricore, working closely with their mentor Pete Warren of DD Smash fame. In 2023, front-man Aidan Ripley met keyboardist James Zambucka at a correspondence school award ceremony. Zambucka went on to join the band. The three definitive members fostered a close friendship. Not only had all three received alternative education in their high-school years, separating them from their peers; they also identified with one another as neuro-divergent individuals. This idea of “being different” would become integral to the band’s overall output. Having earned a growing following in their hometown, Capricore released their debut single Dreamer in February 2023 which was recorded at Big Pop studios and produced by Pete Warren. The track was critically well received and instantly became a fan favourite. It was at this time the band got the attention of big industry names such as famous music manager/radio-host Paul Ellis who stated Capricore was “the best and most important band to come out of the North Shore in decades.” Throughout the year of 2024, Capricore played back-to-back shows, growing a devoted audience in multiple iconic rock clubs. Dreamer is a dream-rock and pop-rock fusion. It was a well-polished, commercial love song which gave the band the exposure they wanted but didn’t represent the craziness and theatricality of their live performances. The band decided they would shake things up and take a complete change in direction with their next release. J.A.F.A is a satirical observation of life in Auckland city in the form of a raging rock track shrouded in angsty rap-like vocals. The song both pokes fun at and embraces iconic Auckland themes with lines such as “red light/ under constant construction/ it’s a work of progress that never really functions” and “born a westie cos we were out TaT/ wearing all black/ are you Metallica or 2-PAC?” Like Dreamer, J.A.F.A was a huge hit amongst Capricore fans and made its way to #1 NZ Hottest Tracks in the charts. Their change in style proved their ability to be diverse in their sound. Now in early 2025, the band have signed to AAA Records and are set to release new music soon. Often described as a modern take on Split Enz, Capricore takes influence from classic New Zealand artists, filtering their sound through a fresh, alternative perspective. Their style has been praised by critics as genre defying, delivering a rich blend of post-punk, alternative, and pop-rock flavour.