If you’ve been following New Zealand’s own Written By Wolves over the past decade, you’ll know they’ve built a reputation for turning emotion into electricity. Now, to mark their 10-year anniversary, the band are throwing it right back to where it all began — with a brand-new version of the very first song they ever wrote, ‘Bonfires’.
Originally penned in their earliest days, ‘Bonfires’ was a live staple but never made it to an official release — until now. To celebrate a full decade of Written By Wolves, the band decided to resurrect it from the vaults and give it a cinematic 2025 reimagining that sounds bigger, bolder, and more alive than ever.
Frontman Michael Murphy admits the song’s journey has been a long one: “‘Bonfires’ is the first track we ever wrote so it will always hold a special place in our hearts… When the idea came up for our 10-year anniversary show and ‘The Archives,’ we felt it was the perfect opportunity to breathe new life into a piece of Written By Wolves history.”
That idea evolved into ‘The Archives’ — a new physical collection celebrating the band’s early years, bridging the past and present with a refreshed, high-energy sound. The tracklist includes fan favourites like ‘Explode’, ‘Pretty Lies’, and even their Linkin Park tribute ‘Papercut’, sitting perfectly alongside the newly reborn ‘Bonfires’.
The accompanying music video, filmed at their sold-out anniversary show at Auckland’s Q Theatre, captures exactly what makes Written By Wolves such a force. It’s everything fans love about the band — explosive performances, heart-on-sleeve emotion, and a sense of connection that’s helped them surpass 100 million Spotify streams worldwide.
More than just a song revived, ‘Bonfires’ feels like a full-circle moment — proof that after ten years, the fire that started it all still burns brighter than ever.
