Originally inspired by a Slowdive KEXP session, London-based quartet Whitelands fuse their diverse musical backgrounds into an updated spin on shoegaze that amplifies marginalized voices and perspectives. Formed in the late 2010s as the solo project of Etienne Quartey-Papafio, Whitelands evolved into a full band ahead of their official debut album, Night-Bound Eyes Are Blind to the Day (2024), released during a U.K. tour with Slowdive. The project takes its name from a campus at London’s Roehampton University, where Quartey-Papafio first performed live. Their self-titled 2018 debut, a lo-fi blend of jagged indie rock and hazy grunge textures, hinted at the immersive sound they would later embrace. A turning point came when Quartey-Papafio stumbled upon Slowdive’s 2017 KEXP performance, igniting a deeper fixation on shoegaze. The current lineup consists of Jagun Meseorisa, Vanessa Govinden, and Michael Adelaja who bonded through shared experiences of neurodivergence and racial identity. Whitelands’ forthcoming album, Sunlight Echoes (out January 30, 2026), expands their sound, moving beyond shoegaze’s shadows toward something bigger, brighter, and unmistakably their own.