Leicester indie-pop trio National Opera return with the intricate, atmospheric new single ‘The Scenic Self’.
With a dynamic fusion of sharp, occasionally club-friendly electronica and rich indie tendencies, the band create a unique blend of dream pop, indie and dance music. The new single offers a prime example of the band’s sound – picky guitar lines, twinkling piano, spacious synthesisers and driving electronic drums under the melancholic, commanding vocal delivery and introspective, often prescient lyricism.
As comparable to The National and Bon Iver as it is to Everything Everything and Foals, the band’s sound is incessantly creative whilst retaining a commercial edge.
Speaking on the track, vocalist Jack Cahill explains: “The idea of The Scenic Self is a bit of a play on words, kind of like how you might take the scenic route to a destination, The Scenic Self is about how the world around you shapes who you are. Places you’ve been, interactions you’ve had, regrets, forgotten friends – it’s all a path which ultimately moulds you for the better.”
National Opera’s journey began with the self-release of their DIY debut album, ‘Remember Who We Love’, in the summer of 2022. Originally conceived as a small lockdown project under the name ‘Breakfast’, the album delves into the band’s struggles with identity, change, and friendship. With early acclaim coming in from BBC Radio Leicester and Analogue Trash among others, the band have played sell out shows across Leicester and London as well as appearing at a number of UK festivals.
Now continuing to craft expansive, genre defying soundscapes, the trio head into the end of 2023 with a renewed sense of drive and purpose, ready for the acclaim which is surely headed their way.
