Following the enormous response to their stunning debut EP Out The Neighbourhood, which has since racked up millions of streams and was supported upon its release by the likes of BBC Introducing, Clash magazine and Dork, Nottingham’s indie rock troubadours BLONDES have returned for the new year to deliver their soaring new single LOVE IN THE AFTERNOON.
Channelling more of the broad and euphoric aesthetic that they have been producing since their breakthrough single Coming Of Age, which now sits at more than 35 million streams and 1.7 billion TikTok views, Love In The Afternoon sees the band in renewed spirits throughout. Capturing another heady mix of euphoric guitar riffs, blended with rousing hooks from start to finish, BLONDES are looking to cement themselves as one of the most exciting new entries for the year ahead.
Talking about the new single, the band say: “This song is one of our absolute favourites. It’s been in the live set since last year and feels so exciting to play. We’ve been out of action for a little while so we wanted to punch back with something lively. Our producer Antony Genn really pushed us to kick this song into the next gear and we feel really proud of what we’ve made. We’re so excited for everyone to hear it.”
Drawing upon their experiences as four young adults coming of age in unusual times, BLONDES capture the euphoria and the nostalgia of growing up in their unique brand of guitar and synth driven indie pop.
First forming at the University of Nottingham at the end of 2017, the four-piece quickly developed a loyal following of fans eager to get their hands on copies of their self-released EP. After two years of playing bars and eventually filling local venues, the real eureka moment for BLONDES came in the summer of 2019. Having attended Glastonbury Festival, the band were inspired to continue making music and to finally finish writing a song that guitarist Alex Davison had started several years previously; a song about chasing dreams that would eventually develop into Coming of Age. The anthemic chorus – “Here, something really could happen” – became the band’s self-fulfilling prophecy.
In October 2020, their single Coming Of Age became an overnight viral sensation on TikTok. Thousands of videos featuring the song appeared across the platform, racking up millions of views, and BLONDES
were suddenly trending. In response, TikTok launched an official Coming of Age trend on behalf of the band, streams of the song went through the roof and record labels across the world began to take notice of the four young friends.
Following this initial success, the band signed with C3 Records, established in 2018 by Charlie Walker and Charles Attal, co-founders of C3 Management and C3 Presents, one of the world’s largest festival producers. Single releases Coming Of Age, Minimum Wage and Out The Neighbourhood followed, propelling BLONDES onto stages at Reading and Leeds, Lollapalooza Berlin, Dot To Dot, Liverpool Sound City and Live At Leeds, and supporting Stereophonics and Inhaler on tour.
BLONDES are: Will Potter – vocals | Alex Davison – guitar | Daniel Stroud – drums | David Annis – bass
