London quartet slowly then all at once introduce themselves with ‘Rewind’, their radiant debut single, out now. Blending the hazy textures of shoegaze with the melodic warmth of dreampop and the directness of 90s alternative rock, the track offers an intimate exploration of adolescence, memory and the uneasy process of growing into yourself.
Featuring Anna McClean on vocals and piano, Stan Thompson on guitar, Luke Faiers on bass and Ozan Koseoglu on drums, the band build their sound through subtle, carefully balanced layers. Reverb-drenched guitars drift alongside soft synths and rich bass, while understated percussion gives the arrangement a steady, grounded pulse. At the centre, McClean’s smoky, melancholic vocals lend the track a sense of quiet yearning, drawing together its dreamlike atmosphere and bright melodic undercurrent.
Although ‘Rewind’ feels enveloping and languid, it never disappears entirely into its own haze. There is a more immediate alternative rock sensibility beneath the shimmering production, particularly in the upfront drums, which provide a directness that offsets the song’s softer edges. The result is a sound that sits comfortably between the ethereal qualities of Yndling and Night Swimming and the more tactile energy of 90s guitar music.
The song’s origins stretch back to Thompson’s teenage years, when its lyrics and chords first began to take shape. Only later, through recording with the full band, did the composition develop into the layered arrangement heard today. That distance between its beginnings and final form has become part of the song’s appeal, allowing its writer to revisit an earlier version of himself with a mixture of affection and bemusement.
“Rewind was one of the first songs I remember writing. I wrote it as a teenager. I had the lyrics and the chords but the rest of the music came years later when we recorded it as a band. It’s nice to have a sort of time capsule of myself from a different period of my life and at a younger age. It’s fun to try and find meaning in the lyrics and to try and understand what the teenage me was thinking about – mostly nonsense by the sounds of it.”
For McClean, the song reaches beyond personal recollection to explore the psychological contradictions of adolescence. As awareness of the wider world grows, the freedom to navigate it does not necessarily follow. That disconnect, where an expanding consciousness meets the limitations of familiar surroundings, creates the kind of inward-looking uncertainty that gives ‘Rewind’ its emotional weight.
“I think it tries to catch that psychology of being a teen and being too self aware, and also having this sudden new consciousness of the world around you but you’re still physically in exactly the same place you grew up in – so your awareness of the world has expanded but your agency hasn’t which puts you in this kind of liminal space that forces you inwards and you default to rumination.”
This tension between discovery and restriction runs through the track’s musical identity, too. Its layered guitars and lingering melodies create a sense of suspension, while the rhythm section keeps everything tethered to something more immediate. Rather than relying on nostalgia alone, the song captures the restless introspection of looking back and trying to make sense of who you were.
As a first release, ‘Rewind’ establishes slowly then all at once as a band with a considered approach to atmosphere and an instinct for melodies that linger long after the final notes fade. By bringing together shoegaze haze, dreampop softness and the grounded pull of alternative rock, the quartet offer a compelling introduction that feels both reflective and full of possibility.