Rats-Tails Return with Haunting New Single ‘Spines’ Ahead of Debut EP

Rats-Tails twist the knife with cinematic slow-burner ‘Spines’.

South East London’s dream-rock quintet Rats-Tails return with their second single of 2025, ‘Spines’. A reworking of their original debut, the track showcases the group’s evolution, moving from a stark folk-rooted vignette into a sweeping, richly layered soundscape.

Written by guitarist Chris Bull and frontperson Courtney McMahon, Spines builds gradually in scale and emotion, drawing on swirling guitars, rhythmic intensity, and dramatic vocals to evoke a sense of internal struggle and resilience. It marks another bold step forward for the band’s self-defined "dream rock" aesthetic.

“This track was a chance to push the sound in new directions,” Bull explains. “I wanted to try ideas I’ve been sitting on for a while, and Spines gave me the perfect foundation to explore textures and effects especially with the Dark Star pedal, which totally shaped how the guitar moves through the track.”

Formed by McMahon and Bull, Rats-Tails have emerged over the last two years as one of London’s most distinctive new acts, known for their surreal visual world and genre-blurring sound. Their upcoming debut EP, Public Domain, is set for release in October 2025 and builds on the sonic palette of recent singles ‘Flowers’, ‘Public Domain’ and ‘Coke In The 70s’.

The band have become a regular fixture on the London grassroots circuit, sharing bills with Girl Ray, Tapir!, Automotion, Cosmorat, and The Last Whole Earth Catalog, while appearing at Outertown Festival and Brighton’s Alt-Escape.

‘Spines’ arrives ahead of an intimate show at Morocco Bound on 18 July, with a launch party for the EP scheduled at The George Tavern on 8 November.