Dande & The Lion is an indie pop rock band from Bristol, UK and Sydney, Australia, where they’re based. It’s fronted by dual vocalists Natassa Zoë (guitar) and Abbey Gardner (synths), backed by Chris Gabriel (drums) and Nicholas Shea (backing vocals and bass). They cite bands such as The Naked & Famous, Metric, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Wolf Alice as their influences.

Children Of The Hour is the quartet’s latest single. A shimmering combination of indie-rock and bouncy electropop, that’ll do well on festivals and dance floors alike. Lyrically, the song is all about being playful in the moment and following the feeling, rather than over-thinking things.

Talking about how she wrote the tune, Zoë explains: “I was sitting in Centennial Park in Sydney waiting to be picked up. I’d just finished reading a play called ‘The Children’s Hour’ and that kicked off the songwriting process. My ride was late which allowed me to finish the entire song all in one go which was kind of cool.”

The track was produced by talent Aussie producer Xavier Dunn, whose name has featured here many times already. He created a mesmeric cut that sees ardent intimacies erupt into explosive, danceable choruses.

Children Of The Hour by Dande & The Lion is the new Carte Blanche Music Wildcard. That means it’ll be featured prominently at the top of the blog for a whole week.

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In the Wildcards 2023 playlist you’ll find all of this year’s Carte Blanche Music Wildcards so far.