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Emerging Manchester-based lucid synthpop / indie rock artist manattic shares his debut EP, SHADES OF GREEN, a self-contained project entirely written, produced, and recorded by the artist himself. Dreamy and fluid in its sound, the EP drifts through hazy synth textures and dusty guitars, balancing warmth and melancholy with an immersive emotional pull.

Exploring intimacy and relationships through what manattic describes as a “dusty kaleidoscope,” SHADES OF GREEN unfolds across four tracks — Cigarettes & You, Projector, Brighter, Inside, and Landlord — moving naturally between introspective moments and brighter bursts of energy. It’s a debut that feels deeply personal yet open-ended, inviting listeners into a blurred, glowing world that’s as reflective as it is hopeful.

Written and recorded in his dimly lit Manchester flat, the EP introduces manattic as an eclectic, multi-faceted artist, blending acoustic elements with synthesised textures to create a cohesive, atmospheric soundscape. With this first body of work, he lays the foundations for what promises to be an evolving and emotionally resonant creative journey.

manattic, SHADES OF GREEN was entirely written, produced, and recorded by you. What was the biggest challenge — and the biggest freedom — of handling every part of the process yourself?

I’d say that the biggest freedom in doing it all myself was being able to create an EP that was authentically me. I wanted to make something that I’d be able to listen back to in 10 years and get a good sense of who I was at that point of my life, like a time capsule.

Downside of that though is having to listen to your own song over and over again until you hate it. It gets to a point where the songs just start to sound like noise. I’m a bit of an irrational perfectionist when it comes to mixing as well, to the point where I have to have all my levels at even numbers. Definitely not at all the right way to mix but it keeps me happy.

The EP feels hazy and immersive, almost like drifting through a dream. How did you develop that blurry synthpop palette, and what emotions or moments were you hoping to capture with this sound?

It took a while to create a palette of instruments that sounded right for the EP. I wanted the sounds to glow a bit, to feel warm, fuzzy and slightly worn, but still carry a bright and melancholy feel.

I’m really interested in the idea of creating cohesiveness through opposing sounds, such as acoustic and synthesised, human and machine. So I aimed to try and combine both on some songs by recording my acoustic guitar and layering it with an array of different synths.

Tracks like Cigarettes & You and Brighter, Inside sit alongside newer songs like Projector and Landlord. How did you decide on the flow of the EP, and what story do you feel it tells as a whole?

I wrote much of SHADES OF GREEN to explore my own experiences grappling with relationships, and my own self-doubts on if happiness and love was something I even deserved. I’d say, SHADES OF GREEN overall tells a story of acceptance though, and the final song, “Landlord”, represents that moment. It’s more acoustic and stripped back than the other tracks, and is a message to stop fighting against your own happiness.

You’ve described SHADES OF GREEN as exploring intimacy and relationships through a “dusty kaleidoscope.” Were there any personal experiences that directly shaped these songs, or do you prefer to leave that interpretation open for listeners?

I’ll play it safe and leave it mostly up to interpretation but a lot of the songs reflect my own anxieties about getting into a relationship. Projector for instance asks the question of whether you lose a part of yourself when you let someone else in.

This marks your first official body of work — how does releasing SHADES OF GREEN change the way you see yourself as an artist, and what can fans expect from the next chapter of manattic?

Onto the next! I’m already pretty close to finishing my next EP, and I’ve got a few singles lined up. Now I’ve released SHADES OF GREEN I feel like I’ve laid the foundations for myself as a musician, and all I can do now is build something bigger and better off of that.

"Will transport you to another world in an instant. Taken from his debut EP SHADES OF GREEN, Projector is a dream from the get go, with swirling synth lines and endearing sweet lyricism that will have you grooving in an instant."

Blog featuring "the best of shoegaze, dreampop, shoegazing (indie with shoegaze influence) and dreamy (indie with dreampop influence). And also from related genres, such as neo-psychedelia, post-punk, fuzzpop, guitarpop and garagepop."

Featured on BBC Introducing Manchester on 16th and 18th October 2025.

George Godfrey - "Sounds so so good."