Brighton trio Plantoid will release their new album FLARE on 30th January

Brighton trio Plantoid will release their eagerly awaited new album FLARE on 30th January via Bella
Union. Following blistering first single “Dozer”, Plantoid today share second single “Good For You”, an
emotive track which evolves over six serpentine minutes with nods to the band’s progressive and
experimental side as the song advances. The track is accompanied by a beautifully psychedelic and
mysterious video created by the band’s regular visual collaborator Cali Titmas. Click HERE to watch.
Commenting on the track Plantoid say: “This track to us is an amalgamation of old and new; stylistically
it pushes us forwards while retaining aspects of our progressive and experimental roots. It’s a journey of
rebirth and processing emotions, of learning to create space for your feelings, then trying to feel good
about it. The video is made by our friend Cali Titmas, filmed in the south west USA. It follows a ‘being’
landing on earth, emerging from another world to begin discovering life and nature for the first time as a
‘newborn’”.
“Second album from the Brighton trio begins with a barrage of prog-metal riffage, but the clouds soon

part to reveal a panorama of jazzy cosmic-soul bliss.” Uncut (playlist)

(photo credit: Cali Titmas)
Plantoid 2026 UK Tour:

17th February – Birmingham – The Hare and Hounds
18th February – Leeds – Oporto

19th February – Edinburgh – Sneaky Pete’s
20th February – Gateshead – The Central
21st February – Hull – The New Adelphi Club
25th February – Bristol – The Croft
26th February – Cardiff – Clwb Ifor Bach
27th February – Portsmouth – Kola
28th February – Ramsgate – Ramsgate Music Hall
4th March – Dublin – The Grand Social
6th March – Brighton – The Hope and Ruin
7th March – Brighton – Green Door Store
12th March – London – Moth Club
13th March – Norwich – Voodoo Daddy’s Showroom
14 March – Manchester – Louder Than War Live @ Manchester Academy

After the runaway success of their debut album Terrapath, which cemented their status as the stewards of
the UK’s prog-rock scene, Plantoid have returned with their sophomore release: the enigmatic, arresting,
and at times downright catchy FLARE. Staying true to the band’s math-rock roots, the album is awash in
heavy, reverberated guitar licks, tempo changes, and mind-altering chord progressions—all while
expanding Plantoid’s signature sound towards new horizons, like wall-of-sound shoegaze and
vocal-forward rock-pop. It does what all second albums do best; retain the core DNA that set its
predecessor apart from the fray, yet evolve enough to excite old fans and new listeners alike.
“While making FLARE, we did knowingly acknowledge that our sound had been very erratic,” explains
drummer Louis Bradshaw, who along with vocalist/guitarist Chloe Spence and lead guitarist Tom Coyne
make up the nucleus of Plantoid. “We never stayed on anything for too long. Before going into writing
this album we wanted to slightly redefine what we were doing—it’s less directly proggy. It strays from
that sound a bit, while retaining that character.”
If you’re here for the time changes and jazzy mid-song freakouts, don’t you worry, you’ll still find plenty
across the album’s nine sprawling tracks. It’s just that Plantoid have been able to tap into something
deeper, more lived-in. With the help of producer/sometimes live member Nathan Ridley, who has helped
the band craft their sonic identity since Terrapath, they’ve sought to indulge their groovier side, dissecting
their songs further and letting their ingredients properly ferment into something new. “We wanted to sit in
the music for a while, make a mood out of it rather than changing it up so quickly,” says Chloe. “We
wanted to develop ideas to their fullest extent.”
There was a circumstantial element to this artistic evolution, as well as a creative one. After spending a
solid year gigging in support of Terrapath, the band needed time away from the hustle and bustle to
properly focus on their next chapter. This refuge came in the form of a writing retreat in Anglesey, Wales,
where their label were able to set them up with philosopher/musician Laurie Gane who gave them full use
of this converted studio. Under the (actually, quite prog-rock-sounding) Snowdonia mountains, the band
were able to fully let loose and reconnect.

“We were at this beautiful place called Penhesgyn Hall,” says Tom. “We didn’t intend to actually record
the album there, but we loved it so much. The sound of the barn was amazing.” It’s in this environment
where the majority of the songs on FLARE were conceived, during insular jam sessions that went late into
the night. “We’d never really done that as a band before,” explains Chloe.” We ended up writing and
tracking pretty much a song a day—we’d have so much material.
On tracks like “The Weaver” and album closer “Daisy Chains”, Chloe’s vocals take centre stage like
never before, and making space for Chloe’s vocal experimentations was crucial in bringing the universe
of FLARE to life. “When we’re writing the music comes quite quick and natural for us, but then it can be
like, ‘Shit, are you meant to sing over that?” laughs Tom. “A lot of these new songs were shaped around
the vocals, which I think is a key feature to the progression of our sound.”
And progress, clearly, is the name of Plantoid’s game. Not just in terms of progressive rock, but leaning
into the urge of always pushing forward, always discovering something new, excavating the layers and
layers of stratified sediment between them until only a gleaming, polished stone remains. It’s this
dedication to the expansion of their craft that makes them both endlessly fascinating and one of those
most intensely imaginative rock bands in the UK today.

FLARE artwork and tracklist:

1. Parasite
2. Ultivatum Cultivation
3. The Weaver
4. Dozer
5. Good For You
6. Worn
7. Splatter
8. Slow Moving
9. Daisy Chains

For more info contact:
Duncan Jordan @ Bella Union
Tel: 07866 758952
www.bellaunion.com