Brand new single from Arliston

South London-based duo Arliston have firmly established themselves as one of the most exciting acts in the alternative music scene of the UK. With vocalist and instrumentalist Jack Ratcliffe and instrumentalist and producer George Hasbury, the pair blend ethereal soundscapes with profound lyricism to create music that feels spacious and emotionally charged.

Since their debut in 2018 with the single “Enough,” followed by the critically acclaimed EP Hawser, the band has continued to impress, transforming from a studio-only project into a fully-realised band with a growing following. Folding in dreamlike harmonies and cinematic production, they craft a sound that’s at once enduring and thoroughly forward-thinking, reflected by millions of streams and widespread support.

Their journey over the last few years has seen them drop more EPs and several singles, revealing new facets of their shared sonic vision while retaining the distinct sound that’s uniquely their own with a hypnotic blend of analogue warmth and digital textures wrapping their poignant songwriting in a magnetic aura. This year they’ve kept up their creative momentum with well-received singles like “Monks of Lindisfarne” and Vertical.”

Now they bring us their latest release with their brand new track titled “What Did I Think Would Happen,” the lead single lifted from their upcoming full-length record, Disappointment Machine. The song sets up the album’s overarching theme of unrequited love, offering an intimate exploration of vulnerability and emotional scars.

Thematically, the track examines the painful territory of offering your heart, knowing it may get bruised again. Opened with a series of clicks and whirs of a VHS, wisps of nostalgia gently shroud the soft piano notes as Jack’s subdued vocals enter, aching with emotion, to cast moving melodies and storytelling lyricism into the hazy sonic fabric.

With a transportive quality that takes the listener to the heart of the song’s context, lush vocal layers and dashes of drifting strings and guitar textures are cut with bright brass runs and hints of pitched vocalisations, resulting in an enthralling listening experience that’s tender and expansive in equal measure. With their forthcoming album on the horizon, Arliston look set to emphatically place themselves on the map of essential artists to emerge from the UK music scene in recent years.

Watch the music video for What Did I Think Would Happen below

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