🎧 Approved: Whitelands

London based four-piece Whitelands are at the forefront of the new generation of black British shoegaze. 

Ostensibly a shoegaze band ever since lead guitarist and vocalist Etienne Quartey-Papafio stumbled across Slowdive’s KEXP session in his recommended videos on YouTube in 2019 - “I listened front and back, again and again, it was that sound that I just really connected with”, he enthuses - Whitelands come at the resurgent Gen Z-soundtracking genre from a refreshingly different angle.

Their latest single, ‘Cheer’, showcases their mastery of shoegaze’s atmospheric allure, featuring swirling guitars awash in reverb and intimate, ethereal vocals that pull you into a wistful melancholy.

Reflecting on their journey, bassist Vanessa Govinden articulates, “There's an underlying narrative that it’s OK for white men to be romantic, sensitive, emotional and make dreamy music and, by contrast, young black men should be making angry music. We’ve all grown up with these stereotypes and therefore I think people are mystified when they see Whitelands”.

🎧 Watch the video for ‘Cheer’ below