Review
Genre and Mood
Gin Wigmore comes out swinging on Written In The Water, a track rooted in blues, rock and soul. Its mood is defiant, gritty and bold: a short, stomping song that sounds like it was made to be shouted along to. It is the sound of a singer who would rather kick the door in than knock.
Song Summary
The song is about fate and choice, about refusing to accept what seems already decided; the title plays with the image of a destiny already written and the stubborn urge to rewrite it anyway. Wigmore’s raspy, powerful voice is the centrepiece, snarling and pleading by turns, while the arrangement stays raw and rhythmic. At under three minutes it does not waste a second. Wigmore wrote and produced it with Stuart Crichton during sessions in Los Angeles in 2014, and the production leaves rough edges in, a choice that suits her voice: it sounds best when there is something to push against.
Musical Breakdown
Compact and direct, the track builds from a stomp to a full-blown roar in very little time.
Intro
A heavy rhythm sets a primal pulse, with a bluesy guitar figure hinting at the attitude to come.
Verse 1
Wigmore’s voice enters rough and confident, her rasp cutting through the sparse arrangement.
Chorus
The hook lands with a fuller band, her voice rising to a defiant shout.
Bridge
A short stripped-back moment lets the rhythm and voice breathe before the final push.
Outro
The last chorus hits hard and ends abruptly, leaving the stomp echoing.
Concepts in Focus
Written In The Water is a compact example of verse-chorus form. The verses set out the argument quietly, the chorus repeats the defiant statement at full volume, and a short bridge drops the energy just long enough to make the final chorus land harder. In a song this short, every section has to earn its place, and the structure is part of why it feels so direct.
The single also came with an unusual music video: two clips, “Live However” and “Die Regardless”, directed by Zachariah de Cairo, that together tell one storyline, described in coverage as a reverse Bonnie and Clyde tale, starring Wigmore and her husband Jason Butler. Splitting a story across two videos turned one single into a small serial. For the album’s other side, compare its lead single Gin Wigmore – New Rush.
Artistic Context
Gin Wigmore is a singer-songwriter from New Zealand known for her distinctive husky voice and a sound that blends blues, soul, rock and pop. “Written In The Water” was released on 28 May 2015 as the second single from Blood to Bone, her third album, which followed New Rush and came out in June 2015. Recorded in Los Angeles, including sessions at Blakeslee Recording Studios in North Hollywood, the album leaned more on rhythm and electronic beats than her earlier records, and The New Zealand Herald’s Lydia Jenkins called it “a clear evolution from her past songwriting - more experimental, vulnerable, weighty”.
Impact and Reception
The single itself did not chart, but Blood to Bone went to number one on the New Zealand albums chart and reached number 13 in Australia, and the song remains one of its most direct moments. It shows how her rasp, already her trademark, can carry a track built almost entirely on rhythm and attitude. It is on this playground for that grit and swagger. Turn it up, stamp along and feel a little braver.
