spirit blue
It would be wrong to call spirit blue an emerging band. The mysterious English duo has a discography of just three songs - but they’ve clearly established themselves. Their fan base, encompassing an impressive half-million listeners, encompasses cult-like die-hards and major corporations alike (I’ve heard it on Zara and H&M store speakers more times than I can count). But spirit blue is my no means a commercial giant. On the contrary, the band’s charm is in their low-key, self-recorded and sleepy sound that feels scientifically proven to soothe the nervous system.
In this sense, spirit blue is for early mornings that feel too bright and late night drives on dark roads. If you need anything that numbs, dulls, or softens the world, this is a sound for you. Unsurprisingly, more music is demanded constantly of them. ps/dm was a two-track EP (perfect storm and desire machine) released in 2024 and remained without a follow-up until just recently with the release of a new single, langauge. Attendees of their shows have described the experience as a “serious vibe” where the duo played an mostly amount of unreleased material - confirming that they do play, they just don’t post (PS - the duo has an upcoming show in London (11.12) alongside the excellent mark william lewis among other artists.)
Whether you are an indie lover of Mk.gee, Beach House, or Matt Maltese (or anyone in between), spirit blue is bound to find a place in your heart. You simply cannot deny the candy-coated fusion of ethereal indie, art pop and alternative grunge that the duo has to offer. desire machine, in particular, is among the best indie songs of 2024/2025. If perfect storm is a lighthearted cloud rock daydream, desire machine is a warning. Do not be fooled by its luscious strings as desire machine dreads the pull of the “Desire machine; Fed by the lack of my resistance; And towards I fall; When it calls me, it's testing.” Just as the lyrics foreshadow, desire machine will swallow you up. Embrace it.
Importantly, the band has been accused by a handful of folks online of “stealing” desire machine, which was allegedly copyrighted by a smaller artist, from which the band took it. This is a serious accusation and one I hope to be false. If I discover, at any point, for it to be true, this post will be removed. However, for the time being, I have yet to see any credible proof for this claim.
