The Kids “Ain’t Quite Right”: Still Blank Emerge from the Dark with a Haunting Alt-Rock Fever Dream

Chaotic, cathartic, and consuming, Still Blank’s sophomore single “Ain’t Quite Right” channels darkness into an alt-rock fever dream of raw sound and visceral self-expression. In conversation, the duo reflect on the storm that birthed the song, the emotional toll of creating it, and their commitment to staying fluid, fearless, and ever-evolving.

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Stream: “Ain’t Quite Right” – Still Blank`

Writing this song took a lot out of us and was emotionally draining. We learned that in order to convey that tension, we had to go there ourselves.

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Still Blank’s “Ain’t Quite Right” is an unsettling, unrelenting thrill – a fever dream of tension and turmoil that builds and boils over, never letting up.

Written in a stormy Manchester winter, the duo’s second-ever single channels darkness into a stunning, slow-burning alternative rock eruption: It’s raw, visceral, and deeply immersive, laced with dissonant guitars and stripped-back production that draws you into a fractured world of dysfunction and desire.

Jordy Fleming’s voice cuts through like smoke through fog – soft, but striking; heavy with ache, yet seething with strength. “I lay down, I watch her breathe / My senseless lamb of ecstasy,” she sings in a breathless whisper alongside bandmate Ben Kirkland’s wall of churning electric guitars. “She would fall in the dirt if she saw me betray / So I’ll cover my tracks and I’ll wash ’em away…”

I lay down, I watch her breathe
My senseless lamb of ecstasy
I’d peel your mind
And snatch all of your dreams

She would fall in the dirt
if she saw me betray
So I’ll cover my tracks
and I’ll wash em away
Although it ain’t quite right
It ain’t quite right, you say

Aah, ain’t quite right
Aah, ain’t quite right

The band call it “an edge-building song” – and you can feel that tension in your chest from the moment it begins. “We wrote the song around Christmas in rainy Manchester while listening to a lot of Sonic Youth and PJ Harvey,” Fleming tells Atwood Magazine.

“Usually, Ben leads the music and I work on lyrics and melody, but this one flipped. We wanted it to feel on edge – building tension. The lyrics explore a dysfunctional relationship where both sides are suffocating, and neither can let go. The guitar almost talks back to the vocal, responding with this jarring energy that adds to the unease.”

That tension is the song’s lifeblood: A brooding pulse that fuels every word and riff.

“You bite my tongue, a palm to cheek / I choke your brain in naked sleep,” Fleming confesses. “Oh, it ain’t quite right / I know it ain’t quite right.” These lines sting like wounds left open. Each verse drives deeper into that dark, co-dependent dynamic – one that feeds on passion and pain in equal measure.

You bite my tongue, a palm to cheek
I choke your brain in naked sleep
Oh it ain’t quite right
I know It ain’t quite right

In the burning silence, peel my eyelids
Slam the door I’m locked outside
But in a minute you’ll say don’t ever leave me alone
Ain’t quite right…

Still Blank are a study in contrast. Fleming, from Kauai, Hawai’i, and Kirkland, from Manchester, UK, met in Liverpool and bonded over a shared desire to explore and stretch sound. “I think the reason the music sounds the way it does is because of our vastly different experiences growing up, yet we somehow still had similar crossovers,” Fleming shares.

The band’s sound lives in a space between genres – pulling from shoegaze, grunge, and minimalist folk to create something wholly their own. This June’s debut single “What About Jane” introduced Still Blank’s artistry through a reflection on identity and perception. “Over the span of our album, there’s definitely a variety of genres and sonic moods,” they note. “‘What About Jane’ is almost like the central heartbeat song that shows elements from different sides of the record and ties them all together.”

But it’s “Ain’t Quite Right” that dives deepest into the darkness.

“Writing this song took a lot out of us and was emotionally draining,” the band admit. “We learned that in order to convey that tension, we had to go there ourselves, which was ultimately pretty taxing. We hope listeners can pick up on that and be taken somewhere similar.”

“Ain’t Quite Right” is the storm cloud to their debut’s searching skies – a sonic contrast that affirms their desire to remain fluid and ever-evolving. “I think that this song shows one end of the spectrum of who Still Blank is. We want the music we make to have many different faces, rather than stagnate in one expression,” they share. “Projects that are somewhat fluid and able to explore different genres, moods, instrumentation and topics within their music are the most interesting and inspiring to us. This song is one face, and the next track will have a new one.”

Storm out of the car and into the kitchen
China flies against a picture
Eyes on fire, words spewing hand grenades

Reach for the knife, go and take my head
But it’s not my life as your breast turns red
And now you ain’t quite right
Oh It ain’t right

That artistic elasticity is what makes Still Blank such an exciting artist to watch. There’s even a second version of the song – “Ain’t Quite Right (Unresolved)” – created in collaboration with legendary producer Flood.

“He has unlocked a darkness inside of the song we didn’t know existed,” Still Blank say. That version leans even further into dissonance and despair, finding beauty in the discomfort.

With only a few songs released to date and much more on the way, Still Blank are already staking their place as one of the most dynamic, enigmatic new voices in alternative music.

“Ain’t Quite Right” is chaotic, cathartic, and completely consuming – a soundtrack to the storm inside us all. Atwood Magazine caught up with Still Blank’s Jordy Fleming and Ben Kirkland to dive deeper into their seductive sophomore single, exploring the intensity behind its creation, the weight of channeling that darkness, and the duo’s vision for an ever-shifting, multifaceted sound.

Ultimately,“Ain’t Quite Right” doesn’t just simmer – it scorches. It’s haunting and harrowing, hypnotic and human: A fearless emotional purge that leaves you raw and breathless, yet somehow wanting more. We’ll be keeping a close eye on Still Blank as they continue to release music throughout the rest of the year, emerging as one of 2025’s most exciting alternative artists to watch!

Aaahhh, I know it ain’t quite right
Oh it ain’t right
Aaaahhh you know it ain’t quite right
Oh it ain’t right
It ain’t right

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:: stream/purchase Ain’t Quite Right here ::

:: connect with Still Blank here ::

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Stream: “Ain’t Quite Right” – Still Blank`

A CONVERSATION WITH STILL BLANK

Jordy Fleming: Thank you! Still Blank came about in a rather auspicious way. We’re a duo from opposite ends of the globe that connected in Liverpool. Ben is from Manchester, UK and I’m from Kauai, HI. I think the reason the music sounds the way it does is because of our vastly different experiences growing up, yet we somehow still had similar crossovers.

Jordy Fleming: Over the span of our album, there’s definitely a variety of genres and sonic moods. We felt like “What About Jane” is almost like the central heartbeat song that shows elements from different sides of the record and ties them all together. The lyrics pull from our personal experiences and explore the question of identity within us all, which is another reason it felt like an honest reflection to debut with.

Fill my book with straight A’s
You were knocking on doors
looking for someone to save
What about Jane, what about Jane
Throw me in water, want a happier daughter
You were stoned after church
What about Jane, what about Jane
Everybody’s hands raised
What about Jane

I don’t know her but I’d like to
I don’t wanna hurt you, might have to

Jordy Fleming: This was a latecomer, but we ended up liking it too much to save for later. It was originally 6 minutes long and was so fun to write. Just the two of us in Ben’s parents house right around Christmas. While the energy elsewhere was so bright, we were hypnotized in a dark krautrock world. For this song, we ended up switching usual roles with me coming up with the initial riff and Ben coming up with the initial lyric. From there it was free flowing between the two of us. It’s probably the most fun to play live. I think that’s part of the reason we wanted to release it earlier than later.

Jordy Fleming: I think that this song shows one end of the spectrum of who Still Blank is. We want the music we make to have many different faces, rather than stagnate in one expression. Projects that are somewhat fluid and able to explore different genres, moods, instrumentation and topics within their music are the most interesting and inspiring to us. This song is one face, and the next track will have a new one.

Jordy Fleming: Writing this song took a lot out of us and was emotionally draining. We learned that in order to convey that tension, we had to go there ourselves which was ultimately pretty taxing. We hope listeners can pick up on that and be taken somewhere similar

Jordy Fleming: After creating the OG “Ain’t Quite Right,” we were approached with an opportunity to work with the legendary Flood. He’s produced countless of our favorite records that have inspired our whole lives up to now. With the unresolved version, we believe he has unlocked a darkness inside of the song we didn’t know existed.

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:: stream/purchase Ain’t Quite Right here ::

:: connect with Still Blank here ::

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Stream: “Ain’t Quite Right (Unresolved)” – Still Blank`

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