INTRODUCING: CUTFLOWERS

Brighton indie four-piece Cutflowers are quickly establishing themselves as one of the UK's most exciting emerging guitar bands. Operating entirely independently, the longtime friends have built a loyal following through relentless gigging, self-released music and an unmistakable blend of soaring indie-rock energy and emotional honesty. Their new single, 'Sundancer', arrives ahead of their debut EP later this summer, pairing festival-ready hooks and driving rhythms with themes of anxiety, longing and existential reflection. Having already earned support from BBC Introducing, The Line of Best Fit and ASBO Magazine, the band look set for a breakthrough year. We caught up with Cutflowers to discuss the inspiration behind 'Sundancer', their journey so far, and what fans can expect from the next chapter.

‘Sundancer’ pairs uplifting, festival-ready energy with themes of anxiety and longing. How did you go about balancing those contrasting emotions within the track?

With 'Sundancer', we wanted to match that fresh, summer energy with the real-world thoughts rattling around in our heads. Balancing those juxtapositions came semi-natural to us, we just wanted to keep it honest. Sonically, we all have a way of being cohesive and understanding each other's parts and the importance of the textures we create, and we're all in our early twenties and feel that existential dread frankly 24/7.

You've described the song as “having a panic attack while watching the most beautiful sunset.” Can you tell us more about the experiences or feelings that inspired that imagery?

I think that we are all living in a time where we are all hyper-aware of the world, as well as being hyper-aware of ourselves and the ways our brains tend to spiral at the slightest sign of chaos. In a way, the fact that we are able to take a step back and understand it all is quite wonderful. That combination of panic attacks and sinking sunsets is what we're trying to get at: when the universe feels like it's dying, the sun will bleed and at least that will be nice to look forward to.

As a completely independent band, you've built an impressive following through live shows and self-released music. What do you think has resonated most strongly with listeners so far?

Our authenticity. We just want to be ourselves and hope that we can connect with people that way, and the fact that it works means so much to us. We are the kind of people who want to put on a beautiful night for the people who love our music, and then insist they come and say hi afterwards. Don't be shy. We love that people resonate with our vibe because there's not really anything behind that curtain, we just want to be ourselves for you as much as possible.

Friends since your teenage years, you've known each other long before Cutflowers existed. How does that history shape the band's songwriting process and dynamic both in the studio and on stage?

In the studio, our dynamic progression is somewhat of a Frankenstein's monster but it actually works - all of our original music tastes back before Cutflowers existed were widely different, spanning from Muse to film soundtracks and then somehow to Barbershop quartets. However, after a few years of understanding each other as friends and also as a well-rounded band, we are now able to understand how we all work and what is actually needed as we bounce from track to track. Stage-wise, that's where we've needed the most work. We were honestly pretty shy to present ourselves like that when we first started playing shows, but we've grown since and now we jump all over the place, playing our silly little songs and getting lost in the music.

With your debut EP arriving later this summer, how does ‘Sundancer’ reflect the wider themes and sound of the project, and what can fans expect from the next chapter of Cutflowers?

'Sundancer' encompasses the energy that our debut EP is going to deliver. Summer's coming, and this EP will make you want to stay and make it the soundtrack to your world from now until the stars flicker out. Our next chapter is one of sharing, we want everyone to get swallowed whole by the garden of soundscapes we have nurtured. We want you to come along, to stay a while in the safe space we call Cutflowers.