Jarbird

London quartet Jarbird formed at Leeds University, where vocalists Ric Hollingbery and Lara Verney met during their studies. The pair returned to London and hooked up with bassist Jim and drummer Rami to finalize their lineup. Melding lush darkness with comforting warm sonic textures, Jarbird's brand of eclectic R&B-influenced alt-pop recalled <a href="spotify:artist:4Z8W4fKeB5YxbusRsdQVPb">Radiohead</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:5hE6NCoobhyEu6TRSbjOJY">Fever Ray</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:3XHO7cRUPCLOr6jwp8vsx5">Alt-J</a> at their most eerie, while adding soul similar to <a href="spotify:artist:1Zp054Jc86WVKCxKEqZGOA">Jack Garratt</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:52sbFniPptK6lNYHmuoPpz">Daniel Johns</a>, and IYES. After releasing an early demo in 2015, they signed with French label <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Oskar%22">Oskar</a>. A tester single titled "More Bad Celebrity Poetry" came out in late 2013 and was followed with "Such Is the House" in 2015. Their debut EP was released in early 2016 and featured the single "Iona." ~ Neil Z. Yeung