“The one band everyone is raving about”
– Huw Stephens BBC Radio 1
“Absolutely love”
– Annie Mac BBC Radio 1
“a gorgeous collection of atmospheric, leftfield pop songs that whisk you away” – DIY
“Impeccable indie newcomers”
– Clash
“One of the most exciting bands at the moment”
– Wonderland
Today, London four-piece ISLAND return with their new single “Octopus”.
The new single follows on from the band’s 2019 EP “When We’re Still” and 2018 debut album “Feels Like Air”, which saw them garner early support at radio as well as receiving critical acclaim across a vast array of publications and racking up millions of plays across Spotify. Before the pandemic hit, ISLAND had also firmly established themselves as one of the country’s most exciting live bands having toured across the UK, Europe and North America and playing festivals such as SXSW, Reading Festival, Bastille Sound, Truck Festival and TRNSMT.
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On “Octopus” the band combine cyclical, dulcet guitar lines and fervent vocals with down-tempo instrumentation to create something that is both atmospheric and evocative. Vocalist and frontman Rollo Doherty’s wistful lyrics channel a feeling of nostalgia that is at once poignant and sanguine, drawing on emotive inward-facing topics that reflect on the complexity and challenges of life today.
Speaking about the single the band says, “‘Octopus’ describes the feeling of looking back on rebellious teenage years from a time where an impulse to cause trouble has been replaced with new sentiments. It’s about the conflict felt as a musician between wanting to grow older and wiser and wanting to stay young, and it asks if we as a world are only interested in stories, and whether normality is something to be desired. A world in which you might be persuaded to change yourself to fit in, like an octopus changes colour to adapt to its surroundings. The song ends by flirting with the idea of reverting back to old ways, and getting back to making trouble.”
“Octopus” is the uninhibited sound of a band who’ve already achieved so much, who are now taking another big leap forward both musically and personally. Whilst it’s subject matter might be looking back to the past, ISLAND’s new single is a statement of intent that will find many looking forward to what is yet to come.
“Octopus” is out now via Frenchkiss Records
Single artwork | Hi-res here
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