In a time when guitar bands are once again carving out new ground in the post-punk and alt-pop landscape, Leicester four-piece The Harbours arrive with something refreshingly direct: pure, unabashed indie-pop joy. On their debut EP ‘Are We Nearly There Yet?’, the group tap into the restless spirit of youth with a tight five-track collection that feels both nostalgically familiar and quietly urgent.
Formed in 2024 and led by co-frontmen Ollie Drakard and Will Massarella-Tyler, The Harbours have spent the past year honing their sound on the UK’s small stages — the kind where pint glasses shake and choruses are shouted back before they’re even released. That grassroots energy radiates throughout the EP, where vibrant guitar hooks and jangling melodies are balanced by a lyrical sensitivity that cuts through the shine.
Lead single “What Are We Running For?” sets the tone with driving rhythms and a crystalline riff that wouldn’t feel out of place on Beacon-era Two Door Cinema Club or early Kooks. There’s a certain brightness to the band’s aesthetic — one that leans into the anthemic without tipping into cliché. But it’s the details that carry it: the clean layering of guitar tones, the open-ended lyricism, and the unspoken sense that behind the euphoria, something quietly aches.
Elsewhere, standout track “Scarlet (Boys That Sing)” pulls from a lineage of festival-ready indie — think the widescreen shimmer of Little Comets or the rhythmic lilt of KAWALA — but retains its own character. There’s a looseness to the arrangement, a kind of breathless pacing that evokes long drives home from late-night gigs and the unspoken melancholy of things left unsaid.
Despite its youthful gloss, ‘Are We There Yet?’ is anything but naive. It’s a confident, emotionally resonant debut that positions The Harbours not just as indie revivalists, but as thoughtful storytellers in their own right. “We want our listeners to take their own experiences from our music,” the band say — and that invitation rings true. There’s enough space in these songs for the listener to find themselves reflected back.
For a band only a year into their journey, The Harbours already feel remarkably dialled in — not just in terms of sound, but in intention. ‘Are We There Yet?’ doesn’t just ask a question; it offers a snapshot of a band hitting their stride on the open road, wide-eyed and ready for whatever’s next.
