INTERVIEW WITH
ETIENNE QUARTEY-PAPAFIO
London Shoe-Gaze band Whitelands return this Friday with their new album Sunlight and Echoes, their first since the success of their 2024 record Night-Bound Eyes Are Blind to the Day. With just days to go before they head out to Paris to kick off their tour, we were lucky enough to chat with vocalist, guitarist and founder member Etienne Quartey-Papafio about the record, the tour and the future of Whitelands.
Whitelands photographed by Edward Sogunro
Interviewer: David Weddle
Your new album, Sunlight and Echoes, it hits on the 30th of January, so a couple of days. Can you tell us a little bit about the album and the idea behind it and how it came about?
Etienne:
So this album was kind of us kind of talking through our emotions really, after the high of touring with Slow Dive and, Night-bound Eyes, we had to come back to real life.
We had to see everything that we had left behind, when we went out and tour and really had to see things for ourselves. So this album talks about a lot of the griefs and like losses of people that happened during a period of years. I had my father pass away, Vanessa was, and also Dragon was also dealing with some losses, so we just had to really, sit in our emotions. And this album really focuses a lot on the humanity, I think.
So for example, Blank Space. I know you've spoken about that briefly previously. Did writing that song help you cope with what you were going through at the time? Did you feel it was sort of therapeutic or not?
Etienne : To me, it felt more like I was untangling, you know, like a ball of yarn, you know, figuring myself out and seeing things for how they were.
And I guess it did feel therapeutic because there's a lot to move on from and just put that to music and hopefully we try to, because one thing we always try and do is be able to connect with someone through the music.
We hope people can find something that moves them. And I think that's what makes a really good record if it can move you in some way.
Etienne:
So this album was kind of us kind of talking through our emotions really, after the high of touring with Slow Dive and, Night-bound Eyes, we had to come back to real life.
We had to see everything that we had left behind, when we went out and tour and really had to see things for ourselves. So this album talks about a lot of the griefs and like losses of people that happened during a period of years. I had my father pass away, Vanessa was, and also Dragon was also dealing with some losses, so we just had to really, sit in our emotions. And this album really focuses a lot on the humanity, I think.
So for example, Blank Space. I know you've spoken about that briefly previously. Did writing that song help you cope with what you were going through at the time? Did you feel it was sort of therapeutic or not?
Etienne : To me, it felt more like I was untangling, you know, like a ball of yarn, you know, figuring myself out and seeing things for how they were.
And I guess it did feel therapeutic because there's a lot to move on from and just put that to music and hopefully we try to, because one thing we always try and do is be able to connect with someone through the music.
We hope people can find something that moves them. And I think that's what makes a really good record if it can move you in some way.
You’re taking the record on the road beginning of February, starting up in Paris, how do you feel performing a song that's as emotive as that one in particular, how do you think you're going to cope with that. Do you think it's going to be an issue for you or do you think it is going to be more therapeutic, or will be able to distance yourself from the reason you wrote the song in the first place?
Etienne :I think, honestly, I think it would be fine because like I've had a list of all these songs were written back in 2024. That's around when they recorded. So I've had like nearly a year of performing it. The first time I performed, I was just like, wow, this is like a lot. But over time, it's gone a lot easier, you know? Like my relationship with my father was a very strange one. So it was much easier to process these things than someone that might have been a lot closer.
But I think part of being able to like perform these songs and the way that I write it, allows me to revisit and see how much I've grown since that time period.
In terms of other songs on the record, like, for example, Sparkle Baby, you featured with Emma Anderson. How did that come about?
Etienne:
So when I was writing this song, I was just like, wow, it would be nice to have a nice counter vocal for this. And, you know, we thought of Emma Anderson because she's just really sweet.
You know, she's been such a big supporter of us. And I think it'd be great to just get her in the studio. And whilst we're there, we talked about, growing up in West London, because apparently me and her went to the same university. But it's just called really different things now.
And me and Vanessa also kind of grew up in the same area. So we're just kind of reminiscing about, you know, growing up in the Brentford, Chiswick, Hounslow kind of area. And Yeah, she was lovely on that song. She got it really quickly. It'd be nice to have her perform like and feature on more songs in the future.
Another track that stuck with me. It was the final one, the closing track was Golden Days. There was a lot going on in the song musically, but the overriding feel to me was like a nostalgic '90s vibe to it. Why did you choose that song in particular to close the album off?
Etienne:
So that song was based on, there's this A24 film called Lady Bird, and that's what the song was based on. And the title is also from a band called Golden Days, really, really lovely, incredible band. And when you hear both of them, like you watch the film and you hear the band, you kind of get where the middle ground I found between them. And it's kind of about moving on, changing and building something for yourself, kind of like the ending of the film for Lady Bird.
And I think that was kind of like the closing chapter for the entire year that we've gone through and where we want to go. And, you know, it's looking for hope, you know? So I think it's one of the important things to put at the end there, because there's a lot of like songs just about despair in that album. So it's good to look for more than that.
The tour is starting off in Paris and then going to The Hague and then popping across to England to start the UK leg of the tour. In terms of the audiences, do you find a big difference between the European audience compared to the UK or do you find that you received equally the same in both areas?
Etienne:
We received like the exact same amount of love, like both areas, you know, like with Europe, we're not really there too much. But every time we can get there, they're always so sweet. And they tell us how much the music means to them. Like, I think Paris is already sold out.
And yeah, and like, Grauzone, like we were there like in 2023. And last time we were there, they flew in guitars for us because we literally had nothing. But they just really wanted to see us perform that they managed to get us and get touched just so we could do that. It was so wonderful.
So in terms of the tour, there's a lot of smaller venues across the tour, I noticed, and lots of grassroots venues. Do you feel that its important to you to go to the grassroots venues in places like in Newcastle or in Leeds? Is that important to you, do you think, or was it not a conscious decision to do that?
Etienne:
I think Grassroots venues are like super duper important for any type of band, especially like a band like us that started with, we were like all in the DIY scene, like people were putting on gigs themselves.
There were people that will try to pay artists like as fairly as they can, and they get people involved in the whole creation of the scene. And unfortunately, because of the way the government's run and just the amount of funding point to arts, that scene is kind of like imploded.
But grassroots venues are where a lot of artists cut their teeth from, and they deserve, you know, as much respect as, you know, an O2 arena, because without those, there is no O2 arena, things always got to start from somewhere.
And that's how the craft stays alive, you know. It's like when a pool is clean, everything in there thrives, you know, big fish, small fish, it allows things to grow. But if the pool is only reserved for the big fish, then there's only going to be big fish. And then when those big fish die, there's no, nothing to carry on. So everything has to thrive in the scene to keep it alive.
Etienne :I think, honestly, I think it would be fine because like I've had a list of all these songs were written back in 2024. That's around when they recorded. So I've had like nearly a year of performing it. The first time I performed, I was just like, wow, this is like a lot. But over time, it's gone a lot easier, you know? Like my relationship with my father was a very strange one. So it was much easier to process these things than someone that might have been a lot closer.
But I think part of being able to like perform these songs and the way that I write it, allows me to revisit and see how much I've grown since that time period.
In terms of other songs on the record, like, for example, Sparkle Baby, you featured with Emma Anderson. How did that come about?
Etienne:
So when I was writing this song, I was just like, wow, it would be nice to have a nice counter vocal for this. And, you know, we thought of Emma Anderson because she's just really sweet.
You know, she's been such a big supporter of us. And I think it'd be great to just get her in the studio. And whilst we're there, we talked about, growing up in West London, because apparently me and her went to the same university. But it's just called really different things now.
And me and Vanessa also kind of grew up in the same area. So we're just kind of reminiscing about, you know, growing up in the Brentford, Chiswick, Hounslow kind of area. And Yeah, she was lovely on that song. She got it really quickly. It'd be nice to have her perform like and feature on more songs in the future.
Another track that stuck with me. It was the final one, the closing track was Golden Days. There was a lot going on in the song musically, but the overriding feel to me was like a nostalgic '90s vibe to it. Why did you choose that song in particular to close the album off?
Etienne:
So that song was based on, there's this A24 film called Lady Bird, and that's what the song was based on. And the title is also from a band called Golden Days, really, really lovely, incredible band. And when you hear both of them, like you watch the film and you hear the band, you kind of get where the middle ground I found between them. And it's kind of about moving on, changing and building something for yourself, kind of like the ending of the film for Lady Bird.
And I think that was kind of like the closing chapter for the entire year that we've gone through and where we want to go. And, you know, it's looking for hope, you know? So I think it's one of the important things to put at the end there, because there's a lot of like songs just about despair in that album. So it's good to look for more than that.
The tour is starting off in Paris and then going to The Hague and then popping across to England to start the UK leg of the tour. In terms of the audiences, do you find a big difference between the European audience compared to the UK or do you find that you received equally the same in both areas?
Etienne:
We received like the exact same amount of love, like both areas, you know, like with Europe, we're not really there too much. But every time we can get there, they're always so sweet. And they tell us how much the music means to them. Like, I think Paris is already sold out.
And yeah, and like, Grauzone, like we were there like in 2023. And last time we were there, they flew in guitars for us because we literally had nothing. But they just really wanted to see us perform that they managed to get us and get touched just so we could do that. It was so wonderful.
So in terms of the tour, there's a lot of smaller venues across the tour, I noticed, and lots of grassroots venues. Do you feel that its important to you to go to the grassroots venues in places like in Newcastle or in Leeds? Is that important to you, do you think, or was it not a conscious decision to do that?
Etienne:
I think Grassroots venues are like super duper important for any type of band, especially like a band like us that started with, we were like all in the DIY scene, like people were putting on gigs themselves.
There were people that will try to pay artists like as fairly as they can, and they get people involved in the whole creation of the scene. And unfortunately, because of the way the government's run and just the amount of funding point to arts, that scene is kind of like imploded.
But grassroots venues are where a lot of artists cut their teeth from, and they deserve, you know, as much respect as, you know, an O2 arena, because without those, there is no O2 arena, things always got to start from somewhere.
And that's how the craft stays alive, you know. It's like when a pool is clean, everything in there thrives, you know, big fish, small fish, it allows things to grow. But if the pool is only reserved for the big fish, then there's only going to be big fish. And then when those big fish die, there's no, nothing to carry on. So everything has to thrive in the scene to keep it alive.
Sunlight Echos - Cover
So in terms of when the tour comes to a close, what have you got planned after that?
Etienne:
Honestly, being very realistic, I think the whole band will be looking for full-time jobs, It's, yeah, that's just the band life, if everyone's being, very honest, because you have to keep things going. And I think our expectations were very high after Night-bound.
I was like, you know, like, wow, we'll never have to work again. We can just do music full-time, but... the reality of being a musician in the UK is now you're going to get a job, you're going to be doing music at the same time. And that's like, it sucks, but it's like, it's what you just have to do, you know.
And there was a band, Witch Fever, they went on tour, they were doing arenas, you know, for like 2 months, and they're looking for full-time jobs. And like, you know, they didn't make that much money for music. And. It's just the way that music is structured that is quite very unfair. But it's the biggest like selling point for the UK, you know.
Though people will be traveling from literally every single point on earth just to see Oasis, you know, is where we export the biggest, like it's our biggest export. But unfortunately, it's not held to the same regard as, you know, like any other thing.
When people come to see Whitelands, what do you want them to get from a show and what should they expect?
Etienne:
I think they should expect, you know, like really good music. They should get an experience that they can just be completely immersed in, you know.
We're really working hard to like revamp our live stuff to make it just sound as best as possible. Like we're working with Marshall and Apple Phone and they've been so good towards us by even giving us like equipment and it needs to be something that it sounds like, if not as good as the record, then even better, people need to get their money's worth because, tickets aren't cheap, if I could give away the tour for free, I totally would.
People that are working their jobs and they're given like, literally one hour of their life and like to pay for a ticket, it's going to be worth it because it's a cost of living crisis. And you're seeing a band on like a Tuesday night, you know, that's incredible.
Etienne:
Honestly, being very realistic, I think the whole band will be looking for full-time jobs, It's, yeah, that's just the band life, if everyone's being, very honest, because you have to keep things going. And I think our expectations were very high after Night-bound.
I was like, you know, like, wow, we'll never have to work again. We can just do music full-time, but... the reality of being a musician in the UK is now you're going to get a job, you're going to be doing music at the same time. And that's like, it sucks, but it's like, it's what you just have to do, you know.
And there was a band, Witch Fever, they went on tour, they were doing arenas, you know, for like 2 months, and they're looking for full-time jobs. And like, you know, they didn't make that much money for music. And. It's just the way that music is structured that is quite very unfair. But it's the biggest like selling point for the UK, you know.
Though people will be traveling from literally every single point on earth just to see Oasis, you know, is where we export the biggest, like it's our biggest export. But unfortunately, it's not held to the same regard as, you know, like any other thing.
When people come to see Whitelands, what do you want them to get from a show and what should they expect?
Etienne:
I think they should expect, you know, like really good music. They should get an experience that they can just be completely immersed in, you know.
We're really working hard to like revamp our live stuff to make it just sound as best as possible. Like we're working with Marshall and Apple Phone and they've been so good towards us by even giving us like equipment and it needs to be something that it sounds like, if not as good as the record, then even better, people need to get their money's worth because, tickets aren't cheap, if I could give away the tour for free, I totally would.
People that are working their jobs and they're given like, literally one hour of their life and like to pay for a ticket, it's going to be worth it because it's a cost of living crisis. And you're seeing a band on like a Tuesday night, you know, that's incredible.
Sunlight and Echoes is available from 30th of January. You can also catch the band on tour across the UK this February, dates below:
February 6 – Paris – Supersonic
February 7 – The Hague – Grauzone Festival
February 18 – Birmingham – Hare & Hounds
February 19 – Glasgow – The Hug And Pint
February 20 – Leeds – Hyde Park Book Club
February 21 – Newcastle – Zerox
February 22 – Blackpool – Bootleg Social
February 24 – Manchester – YES Basement
February 25 – Bedford – Esquires
February 26 – London – MOTH Club
For tickets, the album and more click here: WHITELANDS
February 6 – Paris – Supersonic
February 7 – The Hague – Grauzone Festival
February 18 – Birmingham – Hare & Hounds
February 19 – Glasgow – The Hug And Pint
February 20 – Leeds – Hyde Park Book Club
February 21 – Newcastle – Zerox
February 22 – Blackpool – Bootleg Social
February 24 – Manchester – YES Basement
February 25 – Bedford – Esquires
February 26 – London – MOTH Club
For tickets, the album and more click here: WHITELANDS
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