Worldpeace DMT - Stick Around For Tea

BY IAN O’RUSSA

Worldpeace DMT is one of the most unconventional duos coming out of the UK. 

Fusing traditional indie pop with electronic production, Worldpeace DMT have distanced themselves from the reigning electroclash wave, instead opting for their own style: silly, heartfelt and unpretentious. Their sophomore album, Stick Around For Tea, is an impressive evolution of their sound and one of the best albums of the year.

After the release of their 2025 debut The Velvet Underground & Rowan and the addition of Rowan Please as a permanent member alongside founder Leo Fineham, Worldpeace DMT have established themselves as a foundational act in the emerging London indietronica scene. This year they’ve released their first mixtape, Flower Powers, and the single “Year of the Dragon” with their more popular contemporary Bassvictim. Given all of this, many fans have eagerly awaited Stick Around For Tea. Now that it’s out, it’s clear that Worldpeace DMT is the gold-standard for not just indietronica, but for UK indie music in general.

The opener “School’s Out” is a short cut reminiscent of classic indie pop bands like Belle and Sebastian. This transitions nicely into “Love You Too,” an emo-tinged number that fuses the band’s usual electronic elements with an energetic guitar solo. Combined, these songs are a strong introduction to the sonic and lyrical themes of the project, with "School's Out” showcasing the hopeful, twee inspired instrumentation and “Love You Too” exploring the album’s noisy undertones. 

However, the highlight of these opening numbers is “Gabriel,” which also served as the sole single for the project. The track begins simply with acoustic guitar, but quickly evolves into something far more abrasive as the song explodes with screamed vocals and harsh feedback. Fincham’s refrain of “the world is a better place with you in it, go out and be your best self,” might seem annoyingly positive at first glance, but the powerful vocal delivery and chaotic instrumentation transform the phrase into one with real emotional depth.

The title track, “Stick Around For Tea” featuring Johnny Thanku is underwhelming in comparison to “Gabriel” and the only true disappointment on the album. Please’s refrain of “I’m gonna break her arm and pull up in style,” is endearing, and creates an interesting contrast between her twee vocal style and the relatively dark subject matter of the song. The same cannot be said for Thanku, whose monotone vocals make the song drag, with the chorus quickly becoming grating as the title is repeated. 

Fincham has seemingly made a habit of featuring unknown male artists, usually his friends, on his projects. While Thanku’s performance is a massive improvement over rapper GUCCISAMOS’ on Worldpeace DMT’s summer release “Pimp My Ride,” this is a trend that I hope to see the duo move away from in future releases.

The next song, “On God,” returns to the quality of the opening tracks. This cut notably incorporates much stronger electronic influences than the rest of the project, and is more comparable to their indietronica peers. Particularly, the vocal sampling used near the end of the song is strikingly similar to techniques used by Ear, another of their contemporaries. 

“Tiny Speakers,” “Stratocaster” and “Thank You” continue the momentum set up by “On God,” with “Stratocaster” in particular standing out with its satirical lyrics and strings bordering on the composition of a Christmas song. The similarity to holiday music is not exclusive to “Stratocaster,” appearing again in “Munich Gyaru.” 

Much of Worldpeace DMT’s music is at the verge of being so sweet it makes your teeth hurt, but they’ve always managed to toe that line without stepping over. Though “Stratocaster” is definitely at the edge of going too far. “Thank You” is another excellent number that takes advantage of the co-ed vocal dynamics between Fincham and Please, creating a counterpoint between each vocalist as the verse is sung simultaneously with the chorus. The composition also features a sitar during its bridge, which introduces a psychedelic element that, despite literally being called Worldpeace DMT, is rare for the group.

The most ambitious song on Stick Around For Tea is the grand finale “Ivy.” Clocking in at five minutes and twenty seconds, it is the duo’s longest track to date, and they use this extra time to great effect. The song is focused around a central drum rhythm, and more instruments are slowly introduced throughout. A guitar melody fades in and out between verses before taking center stage during the second half of the song, working with a melodica to create a triumphant storm of sound. The song ends with thunderous bass accompanied by a choir reminiscent of post-rock bands like Black Country, New Road or Sigur Rós. Following this is “End Song,” a charming outro urging listeners to not take their advice as “we don’t know what we’re on about.” It’s a humorous conclusion to an unconventional album, and serves as a much lighter contrast from the emotional majesty of “Ivy.”

Stick Around For Tea is proof that Worldpeace DMT is here to stay. Each song is well crafted, with almost every cut demonstrating the band’s innovative, unique sound. Even after releasing a monumental record, the duo refuses to slow down, with Please establishing a foothold of her own as a member of The Femcels and a 2027 North American tour starting in March.

 In an evolving and increasingly oversaturated electronic scene, it’s getting less and less likely for bands to stand out. In just the past year, countless electronic duos have begun releasing music inspired by Ear and Bassvictim, but as Please said to Interview Magazine, “we sit right in the middle of the boy-girl electronic duo type and the indie band.” This middle ground seems to be where Worldpeace DMT’s creativity is able to shine, allowing them to continue operating as one of the most singular acts in the indietronica scene.