{"id":1909109,"date":"2026-04-29T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-28T21:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1909109"},"modified":"2026-04-29T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-04-28T21:00:00","slug":"wonderland-158","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1909109","title":{"rendered":"Wonderland"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\t\t\tWonderland<\/span>
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\n\t\t\tAPRIL SHOWERED US WITH THE HOTTEST NEW ARTISTS<\/span>
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Chanpan, Quiet Light, Keo & Bel Cobain: get to know the four acts that we\u2019ve been obsessed with this month.<\/h3>\n
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\"April<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

The smell of summer is beginning to linger beyond flickers of warmth. Soon, festival fields, endless pub gardens and Sunday barbeques will take up most of our attention. But first, some artists to soundtrack our blossoming excitement.\u00a0<\/p>\n

You could argue that, in terms of popular music, April has been disappointing. There were no major mainstream albums to feast upon, just deluxe records (because, for right or wrong, doing a deluxe is pretty much a rite of passage right now). But that doesn\u2019t mean that there haven\u2019t been emerging artists bursting onto our radar.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Chanpan, for instance, announced themselves to the wider consensus with a jaw-droppingly good COLORS show rendition of their latest single, \u201cbuzzin\u201d. Quiet Light, the glistening Austin polymath, showed craft and character with an intricate yet expansive body of music.<\/p>\n

Elsewhere, Keo, one of British guitar music\u2019s next best bands, has been touring all over the shop, prepping for a big summer and perhaps an even bigger backend to the year. And Bel Cobain, London\u2019s soulful feeler, is back, brighter than ever, with a stunning comeback opus.<\/p>\n

Head below for the full lowdown of April\u2019s New Noise\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n

Chanpan<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\"April
Courtesy of COLORS<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

There\u2019s not been a more aptly named song this year than Chanpan\u2019s latest \u2013 and COLORS show<\/a> breakthrough \u2013 \u201cbuzzin\u201d. The track zips, cracks, pops, hectic but controlled, rough around the edges and bustling with charm. A bit like doing a triathlon on MDMA.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The NYC trifecta of talents \u2013 comprised of Grace Dumdaw and twin brothers Lance and Matthew Tran \u2013 started off busking on the streets of Chinatown in their native Big Apple, before making an impression with a couple of EPs, \u201cair ride + attack\u201d in 2024 and \u201cendlessly\u201d in 2025. But their newest cut is a step up \u2013 there\u2019s a ceaseless energy and playful nous that feels vital, acutely creative, and very, very fun. With dates coming up on both sides of the Atlantic \u2013 including festival appearances at The Great Escape and Governors Ball \u2013 expect to be copiously \u201cbuzzin\u201d if you find yourself at one of the band\u2019s shows.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Watch \u201cbuzzin\u201d\u2026\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

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Read the interview\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n

What gets you all buzzin?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Matthew: A good bowl of soup. audiences that aren\u2019t afraid to dance. people who care. caring about something in life!!<\/p>\n

Lance: Being hot, having kindness, intelligence, and humour<\/p>\n

Grace: Moisturiser; perfume; balanced indoor humidity levels; unwavering eye contact; eager consent.\u00a0<\/p>\n

You originated busking on the streets of Chinatown in New York. How was that experience?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Matthew: We put in a lot of hard work early on because busking was a grind and a \u201cschlep\u201d (word from our manager Hill). Every time, we lugged a whole drum set up and down 4 flights of stairs from Lance\u2019s apartment. But it was worth it because of how fun and formative the experience was. The early affirmation strangers gave us felt like permission from the universe to really go all in on music. Also, the struggle of trying to win over a non-captive crowd of passersby built a lot of confidence and strong nerves that we make use of now as performers. Honestly, it felt like a humiliation ritual, but it built character!\u00a0<\/p>\n

Lance: We also can\u2019t say enough about how much it matters for a community to welcome and support young artists, and we need to protect communities like Chinatown so it can continue to exist and thrive. We deserve that better world.\u00a0<\/p>\n

What\u2019s your favourite NYC hidden gem?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Matthew: If you find the hidden path to walk through the parking garage and cross an intersection, you can actually Citi Bike all the way home from Laguardia. Also, stealing from Whole Foods.<\/p>\n

Lance: There is a $4 shuttle bus between chinatown and flushing and sunset park (but I won\u2019t tell you how to find it)<\/p>\n

Grace: Mambi.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Sonically, you blend an unlikely amalgamation of styles. But what lies at the crux of your approach? What\u2019s the essence of you as a trio?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Matthew: The crux and essence is that there is no approach and there is no method. We write whatever we want, feel, and are moved by that day! We are 3 different people with different lives, brains and tastes, and that translates into how we make art. We don\u2019t like being told what to do, so having fun at home or in the studio is important to us. We like playing with sounds, and even if we don\u2019t make \u201cexperimental\u201d music as a genre, the word does fit our ethos and process.<\/p>\n

Lance: The influences come from everything and everywhere \u2013 the early drum n\u2019 bass sound actually came from Lance\u2019s training as a drummer and his fascination with that part of the physical playing.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s exciting you right now?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Matthew: That we\u2019re getting to share our music with people from all over the world. i\u2019m really just so grateful for that. Send us the UK food recs. Lance wants to try a spice bag!<\/p>\n

Lance: I\u2019m so excited to write new music. I\u2019m getting into jazz piano and experimenting a lot more on the production side.<\/p>\n

Grace: Young singer\/songwriter\/producers! And the idea of no one knowing anything about me!<\/p>\n

Quiet Light\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\"April<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

We can all agree that ethereal is one of the most cripplingly overused adjectives in the contemporary cultural hemisphere. But allow me this once; Quiet Light is so goddamn ethereal.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Austin-based artist and producer \u2013 real name Riya Mahesh \u2013 is back, blessing us with the deft, ravishing and stylistically sprawling new mixtape, \u201cBlue Angel Sparkling Silver 2\u201d. The work is a sonic sequel to a tape of the same name shared in 2023, and shows the progression of Mahesh\u2019s genre-translucent style. An equilibrium of confessional, heart-rendering folk pop and atmospheric, idiosyncratic electronica, the project awes in its character and craft, full of surprising choices and vivid lyrical vignettes.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Listen to \u201cBlue Angel Sparkling Silver 2\u201d\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n

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Read the interview\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n

How can a light be quiet?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I always think of a candle or a lamp with a soft white light bulb.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Name your three biggest influences outside of music.<\/strong><\/p>\n

David Lynch, Clarice Lispector, and Gwyneth Paltrow.<\/p>\n

Congrats on <\/strong>Blue Angel Sparkling Silver 2<\/em><\/strong>! Why did you return for the sonic sequel?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Thank you! I loved making \u201cBlue Angel 1\u201d so much, and I felt as though the record represented this sort of creative freedom for me. I wanted to return to that sort of lawless dreamland. Life had just gotten so serious for me, and I needed to retrain my brain.<\/p>\n

How have you grown personally and artistically since the 2023 original record?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

My production skills have most definitely improved, and I feel more confident as an artist. When I was younger, I didn\u2019t really think that I had it in me to be good at music production. It\u2019s a different landscape now; there are so many female producers that I am inspired by, like PinkPantheress, Smerz, and Erika De Casier.<\/p>\n

Describe the new EP as an emotion, a colour, and a culinary dish.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Emotion: Nostalgia<\/p>\n

Colour: Powder blue<\/p>\n

Culinary Dish: Angel food cake<\/p>\n

Keo<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\"April
Photography by Hermione Sylvester\u00a0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

There\u2019s ample talk of a British indie renaissance<\/a>. And well, if you take in Keo\u2019s hair-raising debut EP, \u201cSiren\u201d, you\u2019ll likely believe it. Frontman Finn Keogh\u2019s vocals have a throaty angst to them that\u2019s pure, irresistible anguish, while the songwriting is gorgeously forlorn.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n

The EP is well produced and performed with nuance, but if you really want to know what Keo is about, see them live. They\u2019ve just wrapped up their UK and EU tour \u2013 their grandest to date \u2013 including an Electric Ballroom headline that blew the socks off the entire room. With scores of festival dates to come this summer and new music teased to drop before the end of the year, expect plenty of guitar music revival chat from your local indie boi nerds in a pub near you.<\/p>\n

Listen to \u201cSiren\u201d\u2026<\/p>\n

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Read the interview\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n

Describe your live show in three words?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Cranked, spontaneous, dynamic.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the best show you\u2019ve ever played? What\u2019s the worst?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The best show for me would be the O2 Ritz on our last headline tour. Everything about that gig felt right. Our worst gig would probably be one of the many industry gigs we\u2019ve played over the years, I can\u2019t put my finger on which one, but A&Rs don\u2019t make for a great crowd.<\/p>\n

Your debut EP is nearly a year old now. How do you reflect on it? What do you love? What would you do differently?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019m grateful that we\u2019ve managed to tour off the back of our debut EP for this long. It\u2019s sweet to look back on. We were more naive back then, but naive isn\u2019t always a bad thing. If we could do it again, though, I wouldn\u2019t change a thing. Loving a band is loving their journey, and doing our debut EP with next to no budget, having to settle for whatever came out of five days in Pete\u2019s garage, was part of the journey.<\/p>\n

UK bands are thriving right now. Do you think there\u2019s been a shift back to guitar music? To you, who are the bands leading the way?<\/strong><\/p>\n

There\u2019s definitely been a resurgence of guitar music. I used to think of it coming back to life as if it were some sort of mythical creature, but here it is, and we as a band have always known this would involve us if it were to happen. It\u2019s been one of those things you almost feel you\u2019ve already experienced, like d\u00e9j\u00e0 vu. We\u2019re meant to be here, and we\u2019re grateful we are.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s 2026 looking like for you?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

2026 is going to change everything for Keo, we\u2019ve got a lot of cards up our sleeve, and we\u2019re planning to throw them all on the table.<\/p>\n

Bel Cobain\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\"April<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Those of us with our fingers on the neo-soul pulse in London know that Hackney\u2019s Bel Cobain is no newcomer. She first emerged at the backend of the 2010s with now cult classic cuts like \u201cIntroverted Stoner\u201d and The Silhouettes Project<\/a>\u2019s \u201cAt the Bay\u201d. But the British-Nigerian needed some time away from the mania of music \u2013 to grow and refocus.<\/p>\n

Now she\u2019s back, illuminating the London scene brighter than ever. New EP \u201cKizzy\u201d, released via Brownswood Recordings and named after her dog, who sadly passed away as the EP recording process came to an end, is a vibrant, rewarding collection of cuts. Plucking from R&B, hip hop, jazz, breaks and more, the five-pronged project is deeply personal and emotionally giving, reminding us all of Cobain\u2019s boundless capacity for beautiful, heartfelt musical creation.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Listen to \u201cKizzy\u201d\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n

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Read the interview\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n

What have you smiled about today?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

The birds. Their lil song this morning.\u00a0<\/p>\n

What did your time away from releasing teach you about art, the industry, and yourself?<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s important for me to live my life and feel the gravity of my experience fully without appeasing the consumeristic expectations around art. It taught me many things, and they\u2019re all relayed in the EP. They\u2019re mainly about letting go and allowing things to die in order for the inevitable rebirth.<\/p>\n

Congratulations on your new EP, \u201cKizzy\u201d! It\u2019s your first project in a few years. How does it feel to be back? What\u2019s the story behind the project\u2019s title?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Thank you. It\u2019s been beautiful releasing again and connecting with humans through all the stories I\u2019ve been telling. It\u2019s named after my dog, Kizzy. The queen.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a body of work about transitions \u2013 how do you bottle the passing of time, the changes in your everyday and all-encompassing emotion into a single body of music?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I think it\u2019s to do with sequencing. I didn\u2019t really make any of this music with any other intention other than therapy\/ to transmute a heaviness. When it came to track selection and order, I really wanted to narrate the journey of grief and the stages of madness that I\u2019ve moved through.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Describe your music in the form of a haiku.<\/strong><\/p>\n

When you are honest\u00a0<\/p>\n

You can honestly be free\u00a0<\/p>\n

And that is Godly.<\/p>\n

Words \u2013 Ben Tibbits<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t29 April 2026\t\t\t<\/div>\n
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Music<\/a><\/div>\n
New Noise<\/a><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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\n\t\t\t\tSARA LANDRY\u2019S COACHELLA PHOTO DIARY<\/span> <\/span><\/a>\t\t\t<\/div>\n
\n\t\t\t\tGia Margaret Has Rediscovered Her Voice \u2013 Literally<\/span> <\/span><\/a>\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Wonderland APRIL SHOWERED US WITH THE HOTTEST NEW ARTISTS Chanpan, Quiet Light, Keo & Bel Cobain: get to know the four acts that we\u2019ve been obsessed with this month. The smell of summer is beginning to linger beyond flickers of warmth. Soon, festival fields, endless pub gardens and Sunday barbeques will take up most of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,257],"class_list":["post-1909109","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-wonderlandmagazine-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1909109","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1909109"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1909109\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1909109"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1909109"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1909109"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}