CIEL

“Their gothed-up grunge sounds even heftier in person” DIY Magazine

“Shoegaze textures with some gorgeous pop flourishes, CIEL have already attracted word-of-mouth hype” Clash

“A lush combination of soul-baring melancholy and elusive beauty” Under The Radar

“Shoegaze meets noir rock meets dream pop” Gigwise

“Wonderfully reassuring shoegazey dream pop” Dork

“Dream-pop poignancy” Beats Per Minute

“Now Hear This” The Independent

"That’s a big sounding single from them. That’s one of those butterfly from the cocoon moments where you hear a band starting to really take flight” Steve Lamacq (BBC 6 Music)

“I really like it. I really like that juxtaposition of pop sensibility and that sweet melody with hard guitar music. I think it’s really really strong” Felix White (The Maccabees)

 "Sounding really super hot, the guitar sounds on this are a match made in heaven" Jack Saunders (BBC Radio 1)

Brighton indie maestros CIEL share bristling new effort ‘So Scared’, out today (June 14th), marking the second reveal from their ‘Make It Better’ EP, set for release July 7th via revered indie label Jazz Life (Blood Red Shoes, Tigercub, Circe).

The follow-up to euphoric lead track ‘Somebody’ and acclaimed 2022 EP ‘Not In The Sun, Nor In The Dark’, ‘So Scared’ draws further inspiration from the unique creative landscapes of the band members’ respective home countries, delving deeper into their grittier song cannon, elevated beautifully by the soft, icy and emotive melodies of frontwoman Michelle Hindriks.

Having already landed an A-List spot on BBC 6 Music (alongside Hot Chip, The National & Yeah Yeah Yeahs) as well as BBC Radio 1 (Jack Saunders) exposure, the trio have also ticked off high profile press support (DIY, Clash, Dork, CRACK Magazine, Consequence of Sound, Gigwise, Rough Trade, The Independent, The New Cue, Under The Radar), with their vivid blend of fuzzy indie rock, goth and shoegaze showcasing them to a whole new audience.

Speaking ahead of their latest single release, Hindriks explained: "’So Scared’ is about being scared to be vulnerable and open up yourself towards someone else. But at the same time it’s about actively wanting to change that part of yourself and working hard to be able to be vulnerable, as it’s an important part of making valuable connections with others. The song started out with just one cute sounding synth line with the vocal part over it and in the studio we kept adding layers of guitars to create a much bigger sound”.

Lauded for their exhilarating live shows, CIEL have already acquired celebrated slots at the likes of The Great Escape, Green Man and Eurosonic, as well as their own London headline show at The Lexington last month. The group are now gearing up for an extensive list of international shows including a European tour with Blood Red Shoes kicking off in September.

Produced and mixed by Steven Ansell, CIEL’s ‘So Scared’ is out now via Jazz Life and available on all digital platforms. 

CIEL’s live set-up is Michelle Hindriks (vocals, bass), Jorge Bela Jimenez (guitar), Tim Spencer (drums)