Riiki Reid on the Making and Meaning of New EP Drench
WORDS: SAVANNAH GALLIMORE
Riiki Reid’s new EP, Drench, is a sun-soaked, genre-blending journey that captures the exhilaration and restlessness of one’s twenties. Drawing inspiration from the changing seasons and her time in New Zealand, Riiki channels her experiences of longing, adventure, and creative exploration into a cohesive sound that merges alternative dance, dream pop, and playful pop sensibilities. In this interview, she dives into the making of Drench, the collaborative process behind the EP, and the joy she hopes listeners take away from her music.
Temper: To somebody who has never listened to this EP before, how would you describe it in three words?
RIIKI REID: I’ll do it in two - Endless summer.
T: You’ve stated this EP was influenced by the seasons. Could you explain that a little more in-depth?
RR: I’m such a seasonal person and really affected by the weather. This particular body of work came from living in New Zealand, where we’re technically in a tropical climate, but it doesn’t quite feel that way. I’m from Wellington, and in winter it’s not freezing, but in summer it’s not super hot either. When you hit your 20s, there’s that feeling of wanting to adventure, to move to another country, to Europe, Canada, or the United States. Last year, especially, a lot of my friends were doing just that: leaving, traveling, moving overseas. I stayed in New Zealand and chose to write.
That decision ended up shaping the whole EP. I based it on essentially writing myself into my dream scenarios, imagining the experiences that everyone else around me seemed to be having in their 20s. That’s where this EP comes from, and why the seasonal theme is so present. It was born out of my desire to escape New Zealand’s winter, to chase the fun and adventure I saw others having, and to create that sense of experience through music.
T: You said that the song “What If” was a turning point. What about that song made everything fall into place for you?
RR: It was the first song I wrote for the EP, back in March last year. What makes it so special for me is that I feel like ever since starting this project, I’ve always had an idea of who I think I am as an artist and creative, but I never really knew how to articulate that or put it into the world.
Like everyone, I have so many different influences and sounds I love. I’d been in that experimental phase for such a long time, testing the waters and figuring out what felt right for me musically. It was necessary, but also confusing, not just for me, but probably for others, too. I was putting out a dance track one minute, then an alternative rock track the next. Even I was asking myself: Who am I as an artist?
Writing “What If” felt like the breakthrough moment. For the first time, we managed to bring all my different worlds together in the studio. I’d always wanted to mesh this alternative dance and dream-pop sound into one, but I never quite knew how. And then suddenly, with this song, it clicked. I realized, this is the sound I’ve been chasing.
From that point, everything else for the EP just started to fall into place. Once I found that sound, the rest of the writing process flowed so much more naturally.
T: Did the EP come together quickly, or was it more of a gradual process over time?
RR: I feel like the process was really quick. We wrote “What If,” and that same afternoon, I went home and immediately thought, okay, this is the name of the next body of work, this is the aesthetic, this is what it looks like. I’m such a visual person, so I usually know a song is right if, while I’m still in the studio, I can already picture how it looks and feels visually. That night, I had the title, the aesthetic, and the overall vibe I wanted the music to carry. I basically planned the creative direction for the whole project in a single day.
I didn’t actually get back into the studio until October. I don’t even know what I was doing with all that time in between, but once I did, I was so prepared. I spent a week in Sydney writing, then another week in Auckland, and by the end of that, the EP was done.
T: You collaborated with a range of producers and co-writers on this project. How did those collaborations help shape the sound and direction of the EP?
RR: Oh, definitely. Collaborating shaped the EP in such a big way. I love working with new people and meeting other creatives. It’s always been that way for me. I’d write a song with someone, have an amazing experience, then move on and connect with someone else.
Up until now, I’d never really worked with the same person more than twice. There wasn’t any particular reason for that; it’s just how things worked out. But with this project, I feel like I finally found the people who really understand what I’m trying to do. Or maybe I just learned how to articulate my vision better, and it clicked with these collaborators. It all came together around October when I solidified this little group of four or five collaborators. We just gelled, and it felt natural. That chemistry really shaped the sound of the EP.
T: When it came to working with those collaborators, did you all come together as one unit?
RR: I would absolutely love to do that, but unfortunately, no. Half of them are here and half are back in New Zealand. I also worked with a songwriter in LA. She came over and we wrote “What If” together, along with a producer from New Zealand. That collaboration became kind of the pillar and catalyst for the EP. We continued working together on another song for the EP, and then I came to Sydney and worked with a producer and a songwriter locally. There’s also one more producer in New Zealand. These people have been the core group shaping the project.
T: Were there any songs you wrote that did not make the final cut?
RR: We wrote so many songs that aren't on this EP. They will definitely see the light of day at some point. They went with the vibe we were curating, but I think I want to save them for a bigger project. I'm considering this EP a bit of a preempt. I've maybe worked backwards with this new direction I'm going in. I feel like I've had an album's worth of material since October last year, and I've picked out some songs to call it an EP. So this is prepping you for what the full project is going to be.
T: Are there any lyrics on Drench that you're especially proud of?
RR: Oh my gosh, yes! I don’t know what happened with this EP, but I feel like the lyrics are way more creative on this project and across all the songwriting I’ve been doing over the past year compared to what I’ve done before. I’m not exactly sure why, maybe it’s because I’ve been working with collaborators who really challenge me. In the past, I’ve mostly been songwriting by myself, using producers more as a soundboard. Working with other collaborators on the songwriting side, aside from producing, has really pushed me out of my comfort zone.
I’ve grown a lot as a writer, and I think “What If” carries a lot of deeper meaning. I love how we’ve disguised those meanings throughout the song. I also really love the lyrics in “Indulgent (Fruit),” which are just really cheeky. It wasn’t intentional, but someone pointed out that it reminded them of Sabrina Carpenter, and I was like, yes, I love how playful and cheeky her lyrics are.
T: Who would you say were your biggest influences while creating Drench?
RR: So many people! I’ve been trying to describe this new direction for me. I'm not sure if it makes sense to anyone else, but it does to me. It’s kind of an alternative dance and dream pop/pop mashup. I’ve been calling it a mix of The Cure meets Dua Lipa meets Suki Waterhouse. All three vibes kind of weave together, and I think of it as the love child of those influences. There are so many different artists across all three genres that I really love.
T: You’ve opened for artists like Lorde, Benson Boone, and Ashe. What were those experiences like for you?
RR: Those were probably my first real experiences working with international crews. The scale and scope were so different and vast, and just seeing the caliber and level at which those artists perform was incredibly inspiring. It was amazing to witness both as a fan and an artist.
T: Do you get nervous before performing?
RR: It really depends. I’d be lying if I said I don’t get nervous, but for me, it usually comes out in a really giddy, excited way. I don’t feel nervous in the moment, but if you saw me backstage, you’d probably notice me ticking and think, ‘Yep, she’s freaking out.’ For instance, doing those big shows, like the Lorde tour, which were some of the biggest I’d done, something kind of switches in your brain when you step on stage. I can dissociate a little, which is great.
Honestly, the reason I got into music in the first place probably came more from performing than writing. I grew up dancing and singing on stage, doing competitions from a really young age. My love for the arts came first from performing, and then from creating. So, yeah, I can separate the two. But at the same time, touring with someone like Lorde, you realize that, yes, they’re a mega pop star, but they’re also just a person.
T: What do you hope listeners feel when they hear your EP?
RR: Probably sounds so sappy, but I feel like this is probably the most joyous music I’ve ever made. I just want people to feel brighter after listening to it, especially with how the world is right now. Being in your twenties at this moment is wild and difficult, really. And I know everyone has their struggles, but speaking from my own life, my friends, and the people I know, it’s been a lot.
I just feel like it’s nice to be reminded of the joyous parts of life, and I want the music to be a light for people. Honestly, that’s also the purpose it served for me. I wrote myself into a situation that made me feel better about where I was at, and it worked. That’s why the EP has this ‘endless summer’ and seasonal vibe, because I feel so much better when the sun is shining. That’s the feeling I’m trying to inject into the music.