Firestations are a London-based five-piece led by songwriter Mike Cranny, crafting richly textured art-pop that drifts between dream-pop, shoegaze, psychedelia, alt-country, and experimental electronics. Since emerging with their 2018 Lost Map debut The Year Dot, the band, completed by Laura Copsey, Martin Thompson, Tom Hargreaves, and Neil Walsh, have continually reinvented themselves through ambitious releases including the collage-like Dream Home, the sprawling Automatic Tendencies EP series, the sci-fi dream-pop of Thick Terrain, and the sea-soaked acoustic introspection of Many White Horses. Their fifth album, International Dust, sees Firestations return to a full-band approach, blending immersive live-recorded performances, expansive arrangements, and thoughtful political undercurrents into what may be their most emotionally resonant and sonically adventurous work yet. Featuring flute, flugelhorn, viola, piano, electronics, and hypnotic rhythmic experimentation alongside their signature melodic songwriting, Firestations create music that feels both intimate and widescreen – wistful, exploratory, and quietly transportive.
