“You know that proud/stoked feeling you get when your mate is just so goddamn good?”

This is a big mood for Brighton-based indie rock quartet Penelope Isles. Their debut album Until the Tide Creeps In was released this summer, and it’s clear they find immense pride and inspiration in the creative works of their friends.

With a unique melange of indie-alternative-rock instrumentals, light vocals, and intelligent lyrics which subtly tip-toe throughout, the sibling-centric band produced a first album that transitions us into a contemplative Autumn mood. Upbeat synths course through each track, matched with biting guitar riffs and gliding melodies. Keys trickle in the spaces between steady drum lines, creating the foundational elements for a dream-pop-rock album that emits hazy warmth alongside thought-provoking themes of love, life, and self-discovery.

If you’re frequented with creative ruts, sometimes it’s enough to find inspiration from those in your closest circles, as Penelope Isles does. The band worked with Document to curate a playlist, with a note: “We’re lucky enough to call some of our favourite musicians our pals. Making music is the thing most of us all have in common and it’s a special thing to have that keeps us together, in touch, and inspired. Here are a few of our favourite numbers by friends from home, places we’ve lived, and friends we’ve met on the road over the last few years. I made this playlist on the plane coming home from Norway, sat next to a couple snogging and cuddling the whole way. It was gross, so it was a lovely distraction listening to all my buds. We love you all x.”