Although we’re all a bit tired of isolation after all those lockdown waves over the past 15 months there are good aspects of isolation especially when it comes to art. For Joey Cobb and Katie Drew it’s what made the sound of White Flowers work. They wrote and recorded these songs by their own terms, in their own speed and also took care of all the visual aesthetics that come with the music. The result is Day By Day, their impressive upcoming debut album and if you happen to love the lush dreamy notion of Beach House, the guitar walls of My Bloody Valentine and the trippy sampled electronica of Boards Of Canada then this might be a record to safe your impending summer season. And a song like Help Me Help Myself is the perfect example here.
Most of the tracks on Day By Day are also affected by their home town Preston to which they moved back after studying in London. “There’s something uniquely bleak about the North,” says Joey, speaking from the abandoned textile mill that White Flowers call home, “but in that bleakness there’s a certain beauty.” And that’s a good motto for the haunting, dark, melancholic yet also very hopeful sound of the duo. “The songs on the album were written from when we were teenagers up to our early 20s, so it’s come of age in this weird apocalyptic time,” explains Katie. They embrace the uncertainty of modern times as an opportunity to do whatever you want instead of falling for the old ‘doom and gloom’ tale. Day By Day was produced by Doves member Jez Williams who helped to shape the distinguished sound of the duo. The album’s out on June 4 and we think you should definitely have this beauty on your personal release radar this summer.
Interested in the best new music, handpicked by your favourite music blog? Awesome! Because every Monday we’re updating the 50-track-strong Listen AHEAD Playlist on Spotify, adding ten strong songs by sill relatively unknown artists at its beginning. This week’s new picks also include fresh songs from Still Woozy, Oska, Oya Paya, Ashe and Hollie Gautiér. Follow the playlist right here on Spotify and give these new talents a chance.