London-based shoegaze outfit Whitelands has released their latest single, “Blankspace,” serving as a stark, emotionally heavy preview of their upcoming second album, ‘Sunlight Echoes’, set for release on January 30, 2026, via Sonic Cathedral. Unlike the pop-leaning melodies of their previous singles like “Heat Of The Summer” and “Glance,” this new track finds the quartet exploring a darker, more abrasive sonic territory. Frontman Etienne Quartey-Papafio and bassist Vanessa Govinden have shared that the song was born out of intense personal experiences with grief and mortality, functioning as a vessel to carry the weight of those moments. The release is accompanied by a new visualizer created by guitarist Michael Adelaja, further illustrating the band’s creative autonomy and evolving maturity.
Following the album’s debut, Whitelands will embark on a headline tour across the United Kingdom and Europe throughout February. The run begins on February 6, 2026, in Paris at Supersonic and includes a high-profile appearance at the Grauzone Festival in The Hague before the band returns for a series of club dates across the UK. This tour follows a busy 2025 that saw the band performing with the likes of Slowdive and High Vis, moving them out of the “shoegaze shadows” toward a much larger stage. Fans can expect the new live set to balance the group’s signature melodic immediacy with the raw, atmospheric tension found on the new record.
The band’s rise has been marked by a transition from Quartey-Papafio’s solo project to a fully realized four-piece unit featuring drummer Jagun Meseorisa. Their 2024 debut, ‘Night-bound Eyes Are Blind to the Day’, earned them widespread acclaim and a dedicated following within the modern shoegaze revival. With ‘Sunlight Echoes’, the group is pushing their sound into more expansive and “real” territory, as Quartey-Papafio puts it. Beyond the February tour, Whitelands is already confirmed for the Wanderlust Festival in Southampton this May, solidifying their status as one of the most consistent and compelling acts in the current alternative landscape.
Whitelands 2026 Tour Dates:
- February 6 – Paris, FR – Supersonic
- February 7 – The Hague, NL – Grauzone Festival
- February 18 – Birmingham, UK – Hare & Hounds
- February 19 – Glasgow, UK – The Hug And Pint
- February 20 – Leeds, UK – Hyde Park Book Club
- February 21 – Newcastle, UK – Zerox
- February 22 – Blackpool, UK – Bootleg Social
- February 24 – Manchester, UK – YES Basement
- February 25 – Bedford, UK – Esquires
- February 26 – London, UK – MOTH Club
- March 25 – Brighton, UK – The Hope And Ruin
- May 23 – Southampton, UK – Wanderlust Festival