EP Review: Winter Gardens – Macabre Divine (Self Released)

Brighton dream-punks Winter Gardens return with new EP, ‘Macabre Divine’, set for release on 16th September 2026.

Combining aspects of dream pop with post punk, and experimenting with atmosphere, Winter Gardens’ sound continues to be a delightful anomaly within the alternative scene. Not one thing or another, but immediately captivating. It has seen so many people gravitate to them already, and releases like this are just going to bring even more in.

Melodic and moody, there’s a rocked-up haziness on opener Adored that gives it a ‘retro’ feel. Yet, like every other track on the EP, there are a lot of layers, and the fun part is peeling them all. I particularly love the outro where haunting vocals share space with some unnerving atmospheric sounds.

It is an amazing piece of music, but I did find myself immersed pretty much from the start. So much so, that even when leaning more into the dream pop side of things, I was enamoured. Though it’s fair to say that Fragile Boy does come with experimental touches and rocked up moments that make it an easy track to sink into.

The middle of the EP is a chance to take a breath. Winter Gardens delivering an expressive instrumental piece called Violet Corridors.

Before the second half arrives in dramatic and heartfelt fashion, courtesy of The Yearning and the title track. The former might lack potency, but it delivers more elaborate instrumental elements and lovable laidback vocals. Whereas the latter is so infectious and it’s all thanks to its synthy melodies. The way in which this track evolves too, leading to a heady outro that sees Winter Gardens embrace the heavier side of post punk, proves to be spellbinding stuff.

I absolutely adore this EP.

Winter Gardens – Macabre Divine Track Listing:

1. Adored
2. Fragile Boy
3. Violet Corridors
4. The Yearning
5. Macabre Divine

LinkTree