THE FRONT ROW

After last year’s shimmering indie-pop breakthrough, Silhouettes, Coventry’s Project Overload return with something far more combustible. If Silhouettes captured the euphoria of new romance, Wildfire is the exact opposite: a scalding, no-mercy anthem for when love curdles into raw fury.

Since meeting at the Tin Music and Arts’ Live on Stage project, the band—Emily (vocals), Joe (drums), Callum (bass), and brothers Tom and Lucas (guitars), have built a reputation as the city’s brightest new indie contenders. They earned plaudits from the Coventry Observer as Best New Local Artist, saw their debut album New Beginnings rack up over 25,000 Spotify streams, and took home the Alternative crown at Godiva Calling. Wildfire shows exactly why the buzz refuses to die down.

The song’s energy is immediate and impossible to ignore. It bursts out of the speakers with the sort of adrenaline rush that recalls early Two Door Cinema Club or the more ragged edges of Beach Bunny. Joe’s frantic drumming propels everything forward in manic lockstep with Callum’s springy basslines, creating the feeling of a heart rate spiking to match the lyric’s rising temperature. Meanwhile, Tom and Lucas lace wiry guitar riffs with that distinctive “bright janglepop with sharp elbows” critics have already called their signature.

But it’s Emily’s vocal that makes Wildfire unforgettable. She doesn’t so much sing as detonate. On the chorus, “I’ll scorch the earth ‘til I set things right / Won’t simmer down, I’m ready to fight”, her delivery is an exorcism of resentment and betrayal. This isn’t some melancholic indie heartbreak; this is love as a powder keg, finally going off. Her voice is all jagged edges and conviction, bringing the lyrics’ visceral imagery, “A blaze of betrayal, can’t keep my cool”, to life in a way that feels both cathartic and contagious.

Sonically, Wildfire keeps things tight and punchy. At just over two and a half minutes, it never overstays its welcome. Instead, the band hurl everything into a single explosive surge of distorted guitars and call-and-response backing vocals that underline the song’s mission statement: no regrets, no compromises, no apologies. There’s a spirit of early ‘90s riot grrrl here, but filtered through modern indie sensibilities, as if Lande Hekt joined The 1975 to burn down the last remnants of a toxic relationship.

It’s also impressive to see a young band this dialled into their identity. Despite being only a few years out from forming, Project Overload already sound fully-formed. Their influences, Slowdive’s gauzy textures, Declan McKenna’s lyrical directness, Peach Fuzz’s hook-laden melodies, are worn openly but never overshadow their own perspective. Where Silhouettes was dreamy and nostalgic, Wildfire is bracing and direct, showing a new dimension to their songwriting that feels essential rather than contrived.

Released ahead of their upcoming set on the BBC CWR stage at Godiva Festival this July, Wildfire feels perfectly timed to catapult Project Overload into an even bigger spotlight. If the rest of their forthcoming second album harnesses this level of clarity and emotional punch, Coventry won’t be able to keep them secret much longer.

In short, Wildfire is the sound of a band proving they can do more than shimmer, they can scorch.