WHITELANDS, NIGHT-BOUND EYES ARE BLIND TO THE DAY

Back in 2019, guitarist and singer Etienne Quartey-Papafio stumbled upon the reformed Slowdive’s KEXP session on YouTube. He immediately connected with the band’s shoegazing sound. It became the new reference point for Whitelands, the black four piece band that Etienne had formed with guitarist Michael Adelaja, bassist Vanessa Govinden and drummer Jagun Meseorisa.  

“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.”.  Vanessa Govinden

Five years on, the band arrive with their debut album, Night-Bound Eyes Are Blind To The Day.  On it, the band play with beautifully layered, swirling, and etherial walls of sound that harken back to the late ‘80 and early ‘90’s when shoegazing bands were peaking. Set back and obscured by this wall are lyrics dealing with everything from vulnerability, unbalanced relationships, and personal struggles to racism, tokenism, and imperialism. Listening to Night-Bound Eyes Are Blind To The Day has been such a treat. It is everything that I want from a shoegazing album and have found myself lost in it more than once.