By Manchester based singer-songwriter, Manta, today releases his debut EP Confined Spaces, a sun-kissed record that serves as the perfect listening experience as we transition into Spring. Across 5 tracks, the artist effortlessly crafts a calming, bedroom pop sound that’s beautifully detailed. Written during lockdown, through a range of bittersweet lyrics, Manta encapsulates the feeling of entrapment, especially as a young person, spending their best days locked inside. Coming in at just under 12 minutes in length, the record defies expectations, instead focusing completely on the message at hand.
Speaking on the message behind his debut EP, Manta states: “Confined spaces I think sums up the EP perfectly because everything at the time just felt so ‘confined’. Mentally stuck in a head space, worried and overthinking everything, then physically being in a lockdown, spending days on end alone unable to see family and friends. Each song on the EP means a lot to me and helped me through different emotions I was going through, so I feel like it’s a perfect project that sums up lockdown for me.”
Released alongside Confined Spaces, the artist releases visuals accompanying the introspective single ‘Me, Myself & I’, showcasing Manta’s warm easy-going charm. With each scene shot in the same room, the song’s mood is shown through the ever-changing setting, lending the sense of just how tender our emotions and mental health were during lockdown. As a visual journey, the video really allows the listener into the artists headspace, in a quite unique artistic statement. The EP also includes his break-out single ‘Dream World’, released in 2021, it displayed just how talented he was and prepared us perfectly for the 5 tracks he’s since delivered. Undoubtedly an artist to watch, Confined Spaces is ever thought-provoking and relatable, it will likely serve as the perfect steppingstone for his future success.
BOYFRIEND MAGAZINE 