by Ben Hogwood, taken from the press release

London shoegazers Whitelands have released Blankspace, the fourth single from their forthcoming album Sunlight Echoes, due from Sonic Cathedral on 30 January.

There is an impressive depth to this track, for as the press release recognises there is “some real grit underpinning the melody. Unsurprising, as it’s about a particularly dark period in singer Etienne Quartey-Papafio’s life. “I was faced with mortality and very difficult things,” he says. “I’m still not sure how to talk about it.” “It’s about coming face-to-face with death, grief and mortality,” expands bassist Vanessa Govinden. “This one song became a way to carry all of that heaviness.”

You can watch the striking visualiser by Whitelands’ guitarist Michael Adelaja below:

Published post no.2,764 – Sunday 11 January 2026