Some bands are difficult to pin down, and Forgotten Garden seem perfectly comfortable with that. The Scottish-Portuguese duo have spent six years exploring the space between post-punk, dream pop, folk, and indie rock, building a catalog that favors atmosphere, emotional storytelling, and experimentation.
With their latest single, Civilisation, arriving on October 16, 2026, and a debut album planned for 2027, their musical journey continues to take new turns.
Where It All Began
Forgotten Garden came together in 2019, bringing Scottish musician Danny Elliott and Portuguese vocalist Inês Rebelo into a cross-border collaboration. Elliott handles guitars, synthesizers, and production, while Rebelo contributes vocals and production. Argentinian bassist Melisa Dopazo frequently joins them as an honorary member.
Their influences reach back to the late seventies and early eighties. The Cure, Joy Division, and The Smiths helped shape their post-punk foundations, while Scottish folk traditions added another dimension. Both musicians also share a fondness for sea shanties.
Rebelo brings a different set of influences to the table, drawing inspiration from Florence Welch, Lana Del Rey, Chelsea Wolfe, Weyes Blood, and Warpaint.
From Broken Pieces to In Memoriam
Their debut EP, Broken Pieces, arrived in September 2020. Across four tracks, the duo explored the stages of a relationship breaking down, blending airy vocals, synthesizers, and guitar-driven arrangements.
The 2021 single Jessica followed, telling the story of a woman’s search for peace after domestic trauma. Later releases, including the acoustic Christmas Time and Jessica (Acoustic), demonstrated their willingness to strip back the instrumentation.
By 2024, Forgotten Garden had released In Memoriam, a four-track EP centered on grief, death, and loss. The subject matter remained deeply personal, but their arrangements continued to explore different musical textures.
A Sound That Keeps Evolving
The singles Five Minutes and James arrived in 2025, followed by Overlord in January 2026. The latter leaned into darker indie-pop territory, with haunting synthesizers and playful vocal melodies.
Rain, released in May 2026, returned to the complexities of relationships through striking guitars, pulsing rhythms, and hazy synths.
Their forthcoming single, Civilisation, expands their lyrical focus to political dishonesty, war, democratic decline, and the climate crisis. Dopazo contributes bass, while Elliott’s dark synthesizers and melodic guitars accompany Rebelo’s vocals, which move from restrained verses to more forceful choruses.
The Human Side of Forgotten Garden
One principle has remained consistent throughout the band’s evolution: their commitment to creating music without artificial intelligence.
For Elliott and Rebelo, songwriting is inseparable from human emotion and the satisfaction of making something themselves.
Their first full-length album, currently expected in early 2027, promises to reflect their genre-spanning interests. From intimate acoustic compositions to darker electronic arrangements, Forgotten Garden have never appeared interested in staying within one musical lane. And judging by their journey so far, there is plenty more ground left to explore.
I listen, overanalyse, and write about it. The bassline usually gets special treatment.
