Jittery, jazz-inflected dance-pop that feels like a late-night bike ride through London. Sharp garage rhythms meets soft, breathy vocals for the club-adjacent soul.
Porij sounds like the exact moment a bedroom producer decides to go to the club. Their music is built on a foundation of sophisticated, jazz-schooled musicianship, but it is delivered through the lens of UK rave culture. You get the complex syncopation of garage and the driving pulse of house, all wrapped in a shimmering, art-pop shell that feels both intimate and expansive.
What truly sets them apart is the contrast between their high-energy rhythmic sections and the delicate, often whispered vocal delivery. While the basslines are thick and physical, the melodies float with a certain vulnerability. It is music that understands the technicality of a groove but prioritizes the emotional honesty of a diary entry, creating a sound that is as much for the head as it is for the feet.
Start with the 'Baby Face' EP to hear their signature blend of organic instruments and digital textures. It captures the band's evolution from Manchester students to a formidable force in the UK's alternative electronic scene, offering a perfect entry point into their world of restless, neon-lit pop.
Porij are an English four-piece band formed in Manchester in 2019 after meeting at the Royal Northern College of Music. At the time, the band consisted of Tommy Villiers, Tom Donaldson, James Middleton, and Scout Moore. Villiers and Donaldson later left and were replaced by guitarist Jacob Maguire and drummer Nathan Carroll. They have released the EPs Breakfast, Baby Face, and Outlines, before supporting Coldplay for four Manchester gigs of their Music of the Spheres World Tour in mid-2023. They released their debut album, Teething, in April 2024, which was received positively by DIY, The Line of Best Fit, NME, Dork, and Clash, but not The Guardian.
Shares playful, restless, energetic (moods); bedroom production, digital clarity, layered dense (production style)
Shares playful, energetic, confident (moods); art pop, indie pop (subgenres)
Shares bedroom production, layered dense, digital clarity (production style); playful, restless, wistful (moods)
Shares art pop, house, indie pop (subgenres); confident, playful, restless (moods)
Shares playful, energetic, wistful (moods); urban night, rooftop, basement show (atmosphere)
Shares playful, restless, energetic (moods); art pop, indie pop (subgenres)
Shares playful, restless, wistful (moods); bedroom production, digital clarity, layered dense (production style)
Shares playful, restless, energetic (moods); drum machine, keys/synth, electric guitar (instrumentation)
Shares art pop, indie pop (subgenres); breathy, deadpan, gentle (vocal style)
Shares bass, androgynous, art pop, bedroom production (signature)
Shares uk garage, house, art pop, indie pop (signature)
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