onDeadWaves, who release their debut album this spring on Mute, explain “’Blue Inside’ is essentially about a loss – it’s that moment when you finally come out of the numbness and realize you can actually feel something. The song has a positive message though. It is about moving on, and continuing on the journey.”Blue Inside’s video was directed by Lukasz Pytlik, who also directed the band’s video for onDeadWaves launched their debut track, “Blackbird,” at the end of 2015. Heavy of atmosphere, rich in melody, rippled with an air of malice and flowing female and male vocals, onDeadWaves’ debut album will be released on Mute in spring 2016.

You haven’t heard them like this before, but you may already know the band. One is James Chapman, better known as Maps, whose critically acclaimed debut We Can Create was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize, and whose latest album Vicissitude, came out on Mute. The other is Polly Scattergood, the electrically charged artist who has released two solo albums on Mute.

The seeds of Chapman and Scattergood’s creative partnership were sown in 2011, at Mute’s Short Circuit festival, a special event at London’s Roundhouse. The night saw different collaborations with Mute artists and Polly and James paired up to perform each other’s songs.

Though each had primarily worked alone before, there was something natural about the chemistry between them. “The gig was one of the most enjoyable I’ve done,” says Polly. “And as soon as we finished, we said it’d be cool to do something else.”