Lando Manning has been a key component in London’s bustling alt-folk scene for a while now. Justifiably an ever present on the live circuit, whether going solo or with band, plus three singular solo EPs released since 2022, Manning has been gradually turning more ears onto his sonic world.
That steady momentum looks set to gear up once more with a new Lando Manning track easing itself into the crowd, the chillingly honest ‘Veneer’, out via Ostara Recordings. A tune he wrote several years back but now re-imagined, it’s a probing song which bravely looks inwards. “Strip back the veneer/Watch the cracks appear” Manning sings over some steely acoustic guitar ripples, his voice tinged with an Elliott Smith fragility.
‘Veneer’ has a spikey lo-fi simplicity about it but with subtle twists which elevate the song and grasp the attention. Close vocal harmonies enter, inspired by Bulgarian choral recordings, which pull at the emotions, swooning in different directions. Then to close Jacob Muna’s homely chapel organ brings a glow of resolution.
‘Veneer’ is an impressive return to the spotlight for Lando Manning and there’s whispers of more new tunes dropping through the coming months in the lead up to a debut album next Spring. So stay tuned and in the meantime catch Lando Manning live whenever, wherever starting with his next date: Folklore, London 26/9/26
Track: London-based psych-folkster Lando Manning returns with the chillingly moving ‘Veneer’.
