Sandhouse - Pollyanna EP Review

London-based duo Sandhouse return with their second EP, Pollyanna, a new evolution which builds on their atmospheric blend of trip hop and shoegaze influences, expanding into fresh musical territory.

Sandhouse have been building momentum since their debut EP, Circus, arrived in 2025, and this year they have released three singles, now brought together on this EP. Alongside these three, the previously unreleased ‘Into Nothing’ joins this collection. 2026 saw the band headline shows of their own, as well as support artists such as Scottish rock band swim school and Bristol risers MOULD. Sandhouse are steadily introducing their sound to a wider audience and capitalising on this momentum.

Where Circus brought together five tracks of hazy, atmospheric indie-rock, Pollyanna bursts onto the scene with a more rockified throughline. Across Pollyanna, the EP moves between energised alternative indie, grungier choruses and dreamlike psychedelia, all still holding true to the recognisable essence that makes Sandhouse. In an interview following their September gig supporting swim school, Caspar Holloway said, ‘We did that first EP quite a while ago, so this is a chance to do something new’ (Topnote).

Their first release of the year, from March, ‘Snapdragon’ opens the EP with a noticeably faster pace than the steady opener to their Circus collection. The introductory guitar rhythm establishes the momentum before the bass, drums and vocals join, each adding to a sound that feels playful and rhythmically captivating. The guitar and vocals seem to dance around one another, creating an infectious beat that carries throughout the song.

Despite this upbeat sound, ‘Snapdragon’ is a complicated account of heartbreak and perspective. It explores the space between the fantasy constructed around a relationship and the reality we eventually have to confront. It’s a song about reflection and how time and space allow for clarity, and taps into being caught between the heart and the head.

‘Ooh, snapdragon, You got me tucked so careful, I can’t see all those devils, So come clean, You really do it for me’

The chorus plays with the temptation of wanting someone while recognising that the situation is ultimately bad for you. The lyrics evoke temptation, concealed intention, desire for truth, weaving these powerful images into this absolute banger.

The abrupt ending of ‘Snapdragon’ feeds wonderfully into the titular ‘Pollyanna’, opening with a stutter of buzzing guitar evoking computer glitching, almost designed for the sometimes unreality of our digital age. Vocals enter quickly and it’s again a dance between the instruments and the vocals as they move around one another before unifying beautifully into a grungy, head-banging chorus. Blaring bass synth combined with sweet atmospheric vocals, reminiscent of their song ‘Circus’, are joined by subtle electronic textures that continue to fizz beneath, adding layers without overwhelming the song’s rockier core.

‘Pollyanna’ achieves a balance between a heavier, more immediate sound than previous songs, yet the interplay between the instruments remains unmistakably them. It also harkens back to the chorus of ‘Undefeated’, only where that song felt like an untethered roaring of anguish, this is more like a controlled marching hum of sound.

Lyrically, this feels like a thematic twin to ‘Snapdragon’. Lead singer Anna has described both songs as being about ‘picking fantasy over reality’, and that tension gives the track much of its appeal. Where past tracks like ‘Sick of Your Face’ offered a more overt breakup song, these two explore a less clear-cut kind of heartbreak, relationships that leave us questioning not only the other person, but our own judgement.

‘Into Nothing’ acts as a palate cleanser and slows things back down. A playful guitar riff introduces a slower, dreamlike melody, with drawn-out vocals and an atmospheric musical haze that recalls songs like ‘Grown’, although this track feels less like a retread of familiar ground and more another facet of Sandhouse’s developing sound.

Its lyrics turn towards the pressure of external expectations. ‘Do you like me now? I’ve changed just to make you proud.’ This captures the uncomfortable feeling of reshaping yourself in the hope of being accepted. Anna explained at a recent gig that the song concerns modern beauty expectations and how they ultimately make you ‘weaker and more fragile’.

The bass and synth are given room to breathe in the centre, creating a cinematic, Lynchian feeling, like wandering through a melancholic dream sequence. Intimate and soulful, ‘Into Nothing’ offers a quieter counterpoint to the EP’s earlier, more energised moments. Later, the synths and electronic sounds swirl and fold into one another, creating a sense of otherworldliness before quickly dissipating, trailing off like the end of a movie.

Sandhouse’s latest single ‘Gasoline’ rounds things off and is, in my opinion, the ‘grower’ of the EP. Whereas ‘Snapdragon’ and ‘Pollyanna’ are very quick to hook the listener with electric guitars and sound design, ‘Gasoline’ has a steadier strum and a more laid-back approach. First verse lyrics are accompanied only by rhythmic guitar, allowing space to breathe before instruments re-enter and merge together in a melodic interplay.

It does feel like a song in two halves. The first two verses build before the rhythmic guitar strums lead into the initial pre-chorus. Then slipping into a dreamscape before the main chorus returns, repeating continually and adding elements and building until the crescendo. The chorus itself might seem deceptively simple, but each new layer makes it more difficult to shake, definitely a potential earworm. Where other tracks on the EP establish their identity quickly, ‘Gasoline’ takes its time, revealing its appeal through the way it gradually comes together.

The title evokes the phrase ‘gaslight’, which has entered mainstream discourse in the last decade, where someone is forced to doubt their own reality, memory or sanity. Lyrics like ‘Told me I was broken, While you rubbed my back’ evoke thoughts of toxic situations where abuse and adoration come from a single source. ‘You pulled a key, always let you in, I need a way to get out of’. The lyrics don’t ever specify what to get out of, focusing instead on the action of escape. In this regard the repetition of the chorus is a real strength, the same thoughts racing and ruminating in one’s mind, making the singer feel disoriented over what they need to do. What this and the other tracks on this EP succeed in doing is getting to the core of these very complex emotions.

What makes Pollyanna compelling is not simply the range of sounds Sandhouse explores and combines, but the emotional territory running beneath them. Across the EP, questions of heartbreak, self-image and a desire for approval emerge. The songs suggest how easily we can become attached to the versions of reality we want to believe in, even when those versions no longer serve us.

Sandhouse’s music expresses emotions wholly recognisable and there’s a comfort in hearing complicated feelings given shape. The uncertainty of looking back on a relationship, the temptation to become someone else for approval, the sense of drifting through a world that doesn’t quite fit, making it feel like a dreamy unreality.

It’s exciting to hear that same atmospheric and electronic style expanding and evolving. Pollyanna feels like another promising step for Sandhouse, pushing into new territory with an exciting showcase of self-expression and a clear love for a blend of musical influences.