London, UK based collaborative Post-Rock band Winter At Sea return with their new five-track EP, “Hearts,” which will be released on August 28, 2026 via A Cheery Wave Records.
Featuring members of Flies Are Spies From Hell, Din Of Celestial Birds, and Monsters Build Mean Robots.
Stream the first glimpse from “Hearts” via the YouTube player below:
London based Post-Rock band Winter At Sea return with “Hearts,” the second in a thematic trilogy of records, to be released on August 28th 2026 via A Cheery Wave Records. “Hearts” follows 2024’s “Unfound” EP, comprising of a collaborative line-up of seasoned DIY musicians. “Hearts” ups the grandeur and scope of Winter At Sea’s capabilities, featuring a very ambitious 20-minute piece of music consisting of five movements. Winter At Sea began as the vision of multi-instrumentalist and recording engineer Grant Light and former Flies Are Spies From Hell guitarist and writer Chris Chapman — also founder of A Cheery Wave Records (who have released music by Overhead, The Albatross, Civil Service, Din Of Celestial Birds and more). As of early 2026, Winter At Sea has expanded from the studio confines and have become a live entity, performing their debut show at London’s 229 venue.
Winter At Sea are an entity torn between nostalgia and the age of streaming and social media; lost in the storm yet proudly defiant of modern day engagement and promotion. They do not use social media, preferring to engage with their listeners in person and by mailing list. They are a band that favour the tangible touch of CD, tape, vinyl and hand-printed packaging over modern streaming platforms. Their influences come from the DIY ethos of the groundbreaking Post-Rock artists and labels of the 1990s — Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Mogwai, and Tortoise, and labels including Constellation, Rock Action, and Kranky. “We’ve been inspired by the spirit of ’90s post-rock,” confirms Chris Chapman, the de facto captain of this ship; “not just the music but the sense of freedom, experimentation and contrariness.” Born as a studio project in 2020, Winter At Sea hone a pass-the-parcel approach to recording where Chapman, alongside engineer Grant Light, lay down the groundwork of a composition and then invite fellow collaborators to record their own parts remotely, joining them in person when possible. These travels went as far north as Manchester, where the drums were recorded by acclaimed producer and Pijn guitarist, Joe Clayton at No Studio. These talented collaborators are bonded together not by locale, but by a shared taste and vision, guided by a musician’s internal intuition. Winter At Sea’s players on “Hearts” include fellow Flies Are Spies From Hell guitarist Will Tomlins, Andy Selby (who also performs modular synth as Resting Pulse) and A. L. Lacey (who has an acclaimed solo record on Human Worth), both formerly of Monsters Build Mean Robots; and finally, the newest collaborator, Din Of Celestial Birds drummer Vincent Knight-Schrijver.
“Hearts” is one epic 20-minute suite broken into five movements, though where each section ebbs and flows rests secretly in the minds of the band. “Hearts” opens with mysterious synth sounds reminiscent of Pink Floyd or Tangerine Dream, inviting the listener into strange and uneasy waters. A calming clean guitar twang soon changes the course, leading to a cacophony of tremolo-picked guitars, soaring string-like synths, and drums that crash like waves against the rocks. The density later dissipates into an alluring tapestry of guitar arpeggios, as choppy waters start to gather momentum once again. At the halfway mark, “Hearts” reaches a place of serene ambience, textured with intricate sound design as Lacey’s clarinet wanders like a ghostly apparition. As the band strikes up once again, they find their most ferocious surge of momentum, reaching a mighty ear-splitting finale reminiscent of MONO or Yanqui UXO-era Godspeed. This is the sound of Winter At Sea at their most confident and triumphant, capturing the immensity and power of a band who appear like they have been playing together for years. “Hearts” offers something larger, fiercer and more commanding than anything Winter At Sea have composed previously; a staggering statement in sound that wants to reach out and rattle every corner of the auditorium.
Winter At Sea’s debut show in London saw them open for fellow A Cheery Wave label alumni Din Of Celestial Birds and Civil Service. They have since made more appearances across London and Brighton, sharing stages with VLMV, Water Is The Sun, Mochyn Daer, and have more shows to announce. “Hearts” will be released on a limited CD and Cassette run with specially designed hand-printed packaging by Richard Knox (A-Sun Amissa, Gizeh Records) on August 28th 2026 through A Cheery Wave Records.
Pre-order “Hearts” EP here: A Cheery Wave Records | Winter At Sea
Tracklist:
01. Glimpse Of The Horizon
02. Heart In Mouth
03. Gathering Dusk
04. A Sleeping Mist
05. Descent Into The Undertow
Lineup:
Chris Chapman / Guitar
Vincent Knight-Schrijver / Drums, Gong
A. L. Lacey / Clarinet, Voice
Grant Light / Bass, Guitar, Synths, Programming
Andy Selby / Synths
Will Tomlins / Guitar