Though a brand-new quintet, Stateless, !K7’s newest signing, has already toured the world alongside turntable virtuoso DJ Shadow, worked with highly sought-after producer Jim Abbiss (Arctic Monkeys), and the band’s singer Chris James was a guest on Shadow’s last release, The Outsider.

As hot as the band has become in its own right with its ethereal, orchestral rock, it’s going to be hard to shake comparisons to the almighty Radiohead (and perhaps, a bit sadly, Coldplay). While James’ vocal range exceeds the realm of dynamic, the band’s shameless use of piano-derived, emotional soundscapes may alienate some diehard !K7 dance fanatics more accustomed to the likes of Herbert, Funkstorung, and Joakim. Still, with Shadow backing these young Brits, they’ll likely have no trouble finding a wide audience, wherever it may be.

Though Statelesss is ultimately a rock band, its use of alternative instrumentation like turntables, keys, effects, and live programming is a treat for the genre. The band’s scratchy glitches, layers of strings, and James’ passionate vocals on the self-titled debut is definitely worthy of buzz–even if it’s from the Coldplay sect.

Stateless is out this summer on !K7.

Tracklisting
1. Prism #1
2. Exit
3. Bloodstream
4. This Language (feat. Lateef the Truthspeaker)
5. Down Here
6. Radiokiller
7. Running Out
8. Crash
9. Bluetrace
10. Inscape