Wildernesses, a new London-based band formed by seasoned musicians from the UK underground scene, have released their debut single Four Hour Drive via Floodlit Recordings. Though a recent formation, the members’ roots run deep—drawing from bands like We Never Learned To Live, Earth Moves, and Late Night Fiction.
Originally started in 2022 by Jonathan (“JB”, lead guitar) and Ryan (drums, backing vocals) as a way to “play sad songs loudly in a practice room,” the project began with a sense of catharsis and return. Neither had played live in years, and both were eager to reconnect with music after the COVID-era hiatus. JB had previously played in the Yorkshire-based noise duo Alison Angus, and crossed paths with Phillip (vocals, guitars, arrangements) through Late Night Fiction—after drummer Josh joined that band. Both JB and Phillip are originally from Hull and reconnected in London.
Phillip had spent time writing in his home studio since the end of Late Night Fiction, but hadn’t yet re-entered the live music space. He joined the project in August 2023, shaping a clearer direction for the sound—”emotive heavy, not heavy, heavy”—a merging of ambient post-rock textures and conventional pop structures. The final piece came into place in April 2024 when bassist Mark Portnoi, known from We Never Learned To Live and currently Earth Moves, joined the band. The name Wildernesses, chosen after numerous WhatsApp polls, reflects the bleak beauty the band channels in their work.
Four Hour Drive, produced by Joe Clayton (Pijn, Curse These Metal Hands) at Nø Studio in Manchester, was released in celebration of their signing to Clayton’s Floodlit Recordings in April 2025. As the band’s first public offering, it’s a deliberately broad introduction to their sound. Shoegaze shimmer and melodic post-hardcore interplay give the track a sense of momentum that eventually dissolves into a dreamlike, post-rock outro.
“The message of the track is that Wildernesses are serious about being serious,” the band noted, choosing Four Hour Drive as their debut to reflect multiple sides of their sound in a single composition.
Lyrically, the track deals with “heritage, family, caring responsibility, procrastination from that responsibility, diversions and fantasies of a hypothetical ‘other life,’” according to Phillip Morris. It’s not just abstract reflection; the imagery is rooted in personal context. The cover art—designed by Phillip—features a photo of his father and grandfather taken in 1957. The image ties into the song’s themes of generational legacy, personal displacement, and the millennial experience of fantasizing about a more meaningful existence glimpsed through the haze of social media.
This merging of the personal and the distant—of intimate truths and ambient, sweeping soundscapes—is the backbone of Wildernesses’ approach. The band defines their ethos as drawing from post-rock, shoegaze, and dream-pop to underscore lyrics that examine the surreal moments embedded in everyday life.
“Team Wildernesses,” as they half-jokingly call themselves, operates with a tight aesthetic vision. Phillip handles design and merchandise, and the visual identity reflects the same ethos as the music: bleak, thoughtful, and quietly ambitious. The result is a debut that feels intentional and conceptually whole, setting a clear tone for what may come next. Can’t wait to hear more.
