Track Review: The Guest List – “Plasticine Heart”
Manchester indie band The Guest List unveil a fresh sound with their new single “Plasticine Heart,” blending dreamy textures with a new sound in a bold step beyond their alt-rock roots.
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5/20/20251 min read
With their latest single “Plasticine Heart” (out May 16th), Manchester’s The Guest List flip the script on their signature alt-rock sound and dive headfirst into something softer, stranger, and far more vulnerable. It’s a striking pivot from their clean-cut alt-rock anthems like “Won’t You Leave Me Alone” and “161,” both of which earned them praise for their dynamic guitar work and emotionally upfront vocals.
“Plasticine Heart” envelops listeners in a dreamy, ambient soundscape full of shimmering guitar tones and lo-fi textures. The track's title metaphorically captures the malleability and vulnerability of the human heart, aligning with the band's description of the song as exploring "the resentment you feel for those more successful than you, and the lengths to which you'll go to try and match them."
But “Plasticine Heart” feels like it belongs to a different world entirely. The track opens with hazy guitars and a low, pulsing beat, setting a dreamy, almost shoegazey tone. The production is intimate, like it was meant to soundtrack a lonely bus ride or a bedroom breakdown. And then the lyrics hit: full of quiet resentment, quiet longing, and the ache of trying to measure up in a world that feels rigged. It feels fragile, frustrated, dark. It’s more like emotional realism dressed in reverb.
The band themselves have called this a new sound for them, and honestly? It works. It shows growth. It shows guts. And most importantly, it shows that they’re not afraid to get a little messy to tell the truth.
Listen to “Plasticine Heart”: