Back with a bang, Rila’s Edge drop their infectious new single ‘Undone’, a fizzy indie-alt-rock gem that further cements their place among the UK’s most exciting emerging bands.
Hailing from a box-sized studio in Berkshire, the band — made up of childhood friends and college mates Alfie Harris, Ollie Hedin, Jacob Green, George Maclean, and Charlie Kennedy — has built a devoted cult following. Their rise has been marked by sold-out headline shows and festival slots across the UK, not to mention a steady stream of buzzworthy releases since their debut in 2021.
‘Undone’, their latest single, is the product of that synergy. Produced by their now-regular creative team—Jordan Timms and Max Smith from Numen Studio (VC Pines, The Hunna), alongside Max Helyer of You Me At Six—the track channels the band’s alt-pop rock direction with flair. “We wanted to capture the same energy as a track like ‘1979’ by The Smashing Pumpkins, but if early U2 recorded it,” explains Ollie.
Opening with a subdued sense of melancholy, ‘Undone’ quickly evolves. A bed of crisp, boxy guitars and tight drum patterns builds towards a huge, evocative chorus that bursts with emotion. The song gradually grows in intensity, reaching a powerful middle eight where it disintegrates into a wall of fuzzed-out guitars and aching vocals, before lifting into a climactic final chorus.
“The lyrics were written when I was suffering with depression and feelings of low self-worth,” states Ollie. “I had also just entered my first proper relationship and was completely in love. With those two events happening, I kept thinking about how people say ‘you need to love yourself before you can love someone else’. I felt like that statement didn’t ring true for me at the time and I hadn’t ever heard anyone dispute the saying before, so I decided to write about how love and low-self worth interact.
The verses are the inner reflections and the chorus is the expression of the reflection. Musically, I wanted the verses to sound like an old rock and roll track from the 50’s and then explode into a big, open, indie chorus.
We had a lot of fun recording this track and went a bit crazy using all of Max Helyer’s equipment to get mad delays and really crisp sounding guitars. The sonic compass of the band is starting to point more towards alt-rock with fuzzy grunge flourishes and we think this is a perfect track to start pushing in that direction.”
The release of ‘Undone’ follows a breakout couple of years for Rila’s Edge. With two EPs already to their name, they’ve earned spins on BBC Radio 1, Radio X, XS Manchester (RIP), Amazing Radio and Future Hits, plus glowing praise from Clash, Notion, Ones To Watch and more. They’ve supported acts like Little Comets, The Hubbards, Courting, Sad Boys Club, Make Friends, The Zangwills and Delights, and continue to pack out headline shows.
‘Undone’ is out now.
