Southampton four-piece The Manatees return with another example of why vibrant indie-pop is still King. ‘Tongue Tied’ is the band’s first release of 2020 and offering from pairing with former Spring King frontman, Tarek Musa.

Following a brief yet punchy introduction of rhythmic bliss, Jay opens with “You got me thinking, this feeling’s enough, this feeling’s enough to stop me sinking, to keep me above…” The track explores the tumultuous emotions of a relationship on the brink. Tenderly sung verses are laced with the desire to spark formerly felt love before the chorus hits with an outburst of frank confessions.

This release holds a distinct likeness to previous singles such as ‘Headstrong’ and ‘What If’, but offers fans a more anthemic sound. ‘Tongue Tied’ is a track made for the festival rounds this year.

We featured Headstrong in our Sound of 2019 playlist on Spotify alongside Marsicans, Lauran Hibberd, Larkins and Sea Girls. You can listen to that here.

The Manatees are heading out on a three-date South Coast tour this April. You can catch them hitting the Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and Bristol with their infectious live energy. But if you can’t catch them there, they’re also playing at Suckerfest this weekend.

‘Tongue Tied’ is available to stream across all major platforms including Apple Music, Spotify and Soundcloud. Give it a listen below and don’t forget to leave an ICM rating.