Whitelands: Night-bound Eyes Are Blind To The Day (Sonic Cathedral)

Taking their name from a building at Roehampton Uni and a nod towards the band's PoC line up in a predominantly a white genre, Whitelands' gauzy, shoegazing melodicism has been showcased on a run of excellent singles.

Night Bound Eyes brings together the previously released 45s with a clutch of new tracks that carves out a niche for the London group and serves as surely the one of the British guitar albums of the year.

Piloted by Etienne Quartey-Papafio’s earbalm vocals, interlocking guitar work with Michael Adelaja and Vanessa Govinden’s foundation basslines the loud-quiet dynamism of Cheer and the How It Feels’ colossally reverbed textures evokes the outfit's impressive live show.

Dottie from fellow dream-poppers Deary brings Cocteau Twins’ style melodic ballast to Tell Me About It which vies with the beautifully languid Born In Understanding as the album’s best moment.

Paying homage to Kahlil Gibran – a line from The Prophet inspired the LP title – The Prophet & I is gorgeous guitar pop underpinned by beats inspired by the Amen break. A similar breakbeat feel anchors Chosen Light constructed around splashy hi-hats and rumbling floor toms, highlighting Jagun Meseorisa’s sterling work behind the kit.

Now Here’s the Weather shows the quartet to be grittier lyrically than many of their contemporaries, its chorus: “Let’s love thy neighbour, lets burn their house / I don’t understand what comes from their mouths” encapsulating a year of ugly racial flashpoints.

Their imaginations fired by pathfinders Slowdive, AR Kane, The Veldt and US luminaries DIIV, Night Bound Eyes serves notice of a band decidedly on the way to equalling their predecessors. 4/5