Firestations are back with new album ‘International Dust’ (out 16 October, Lost Map Records). For this record, the London band have returned to full five-piece band format after a journey into more stripped back alt-folk territory on last year’s ‘Many White Horses', and offer up an eclectic mix of art-pop, alt-country and hypnotic cyclical numbers.

The nine tracks were shaped collectively by the whole band through various twists and turns at rehearsal sessions during 2024, and recorded live in the room at Otterhead Studios in early 2025 (engineered by Ellis Powell-Bevan and Oscar Ball), before being mixed and mastered by James Trevascus (Invada, Portishead, PJ Harvey, Young Fathers). This longer gestation period, combined with having someone outside the band on production duties, has resulted in a more expansive and immersive listen, with room for everything to find its place.

“Melancholy tempered by shimmering shoegaze stylings... a wistful delight.” Electronic Sound

"As the drums and guitars click into sync amid the wash of layered vocals, they sound even beefier than before, like The Twilight Sad’s more thoughtful, less angsty Southern siblings." For The Rabbits

Emily Mercer is a Manchester-based indie artist writing genre-defiant songs for over-thinkers, self-saboteurs and anyone still thinking about something they said in 2016.

‘Amazing recommendation’ - Guy Garvey, 6 music

'Such a great track' - John Kennedy, Radio X

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