Tape House Shine On New Single ‘Spanish Friend’

Emerging once more from the storied streets of Soho’s Denmark Street, London-based band Tape House return with their most assured release to date. Spanish Friend, out February 6th, captures the quiet collapse of a relationship caught between intimacy and inevitability - a moment where closeness remains, but the future begins to fracture. Rooted in emotional honesty and restraint, the track signals a band increasingly confident in letting atmosphere speak louder than excess.

Written in the Denmark Street rehearsal space where Tape House first formed, Spanish Friend distils the group’s signature sound: rock urgency softened by melodic influences drawn from jazz and classical music. The song unfolds patiently, building tension through space and subtle shifts rather than explosive gestures. At its core is frontman Charles Markham’s vocal performance, exposed and resolute, carrying the song’s emotional weight with understated clarity.

Production duties were shared between Luie Stylianou and Louis Isaacs (whose credits include work with Judas Priest, David Gilmour, and Mark Knopfler) while mastering was handled by Grammy Award-winner Matt Colton (Arctic Monkeys, Thom Yorke, The Cure, Aphex Twin, Little Simz, Wet Leg, and The Rolling Stones). The result is a richly layered track that fuses indie-rock instincts with progressive soul and jazz elements, forming an expansive alt-rock sound that feels both exploratory and refined.

Inventive, guitar-driven instrumentation sits alongside pop-oriented vocal melodies, striking a careful balance between commercial accessibility and alternative edge. Rhythmic shifts and dynamic arrangements give the track a sense of forward motion, underscoring Tape House’s creative flair without sacrificing cohesion.

Lyrically, Spanish Friend explores the moment when love feels mutual but direction does not. It reflects the difficult clarity that comes from choosing self-preservation over repetition, when emotional connection remains strong, yet alignment on what comes next fades. As the band explain, “Spanish Friend comes from that uncomfortable space in love where everything feels mutual except the future.”

Tape House have been steadily building momentum through a run of singles that highlight their emotional range and refusal to conform to expectation. With support from outlets including Analogue Trash, Fashionably Early, Where The Music Meets, and Expansion Radial (the former praising their balance of vulnerability and force) the band’s growing reputation has also been cemented on stage, with standout performances at Ronnie Scott’s, O2 Islington, and The Groucho Club. With Spanish Friend, Tape House step forward not louder, but clearer, marking a defining moment in their evolution.