Singer/guitarist wanted for dark atmospheric original projec

I'm a London-based songwriter and guitarist looking for a singer/guitarist to become the first musical collaborator in an original project called Semiotic X, with the aim of developing the existing material, assembling a full band and eventually performing it live.

The project has grown into a connected nine-track album of dark, melodic and atmospheric songs. The music sits somewhere around alternative rock, progressive folk, psychedelia and gothic acoustic music, with occasional heavier edges. Think intimate acoustic passages, melodic bass, piano, strings, unusual chord changes, restrained electric textures and songs that build gradually rather than chasing an immediate pop payoff.

There are traces of early progressive and psychedelic rock, the quieter and more atmospheric side of heavier music, and the kind of songwriting where the lyric and emotional journey matter as much as the chorus. This isn't intended as a tribute to any particular band. The aim is to develop a recognisable sound of our own.

The material

The current provisional album sequence is:

1. Step One
2. Where the Fire Once Lived Part One
3. Passing Through the Night
4. Where the Fire Once Lived Part Two
5. Tiptoe
6. Deviant Dreaming
7. Please Remember
8. Friday's Child
9. Where the Fire Once Lived Part Three

Part Three is still to be written and is intended to complete the album's central movement from loss and disorientation towards some form of redemption.

The songs share recurring images and ideastrains, tunnels, lost identity, fire, memory, dreams, darkness and the possibility of finding your way backbut this is a connected album rather than a conventional musical. Each song still needs to stand on its own.

Several songs are already structurally developed, with lyrics, chords, melodies and demonstration arrangements. Others are deliberately unfinished. I think of the material as being partly green-stamped and partly amber: there is a real body of work here, but there is still room for the right musicians to give it new dimensions.

About the demos

The present demos were made with the help of Suno, using my original lyrics, compositions, chord structures, melodic ideas and detailed arrangement prompts. They demonstrate possible versions of the songs; they are not finished masters and they are not instruction manuals.

I'm being open about that because the whole reason for seeking musicians is to take the songs out of the generated environment and discover what they become in human hands.

I don't want someone to imitate an artificial vocal or reproduce every arrangement choice. I want a singer and musician who can listen to the songs, understand what each one is trying to say, then bring their own expression, instincts, phrasing and emotional experience to them. If you hear a better dynamic, voicing, harmony, guitar part or structural turn, I want that conversation.

The songs need breath, hesitation, tension, mistakes, chemistry and the feeling of people responding to one another in a room.

Who I'm looking for

The ideal person would:

* Be a confident and expressive singer with an identifiable voice.
* Play acoustic and/or electric guitar well enough to help build and reshape arrangements.
* Be comfortable moving between restrained, intimate passages and heavier, more intense sections.
* Care about lyrics and understand that quieter delivery can carry as much weight as volume.
* Have a good sense of dynamics, space and atmosphere.
* Be willing to learn existing material while also questioning it constructively.
* Enjoy collaboration and bring ideas without needing to dominate the project.
* Be reliable, communicative and realistically interested in rehearsing towards live performance.
* Be comfortable joining at the beginning of the band-building process.

A technically perfect voice is less important than character, emotional intelligence and the ability to make a lyric feel lived in. Gender and age are not important. I'm more interested in whether the voice and personality connect with the material.

For guitar, taste matters more than showing off. Fingerpicking, unusual chord voicings, ambient electric textures, controlled heaviness and an instinct for serving the song would all be useful. Multi-instrumental ability, harmonies, piano or arranging experience would be welcome, but none is essential.

What I bring

I bring the songs, lyrics, underlying concepts, chordal foundations, a developing album narrative and a clear visual identity for the project. I play guitar and want to remain actively involved as a musician and songwriter.

I'm serious about improving the work. The songs have already been through repeated rewriting and fairly ruthless editing, and I'm not precious about every bar simply because I wrote it. At the same time, the unusual images and emotional core of the material matter to me, so I'm looking for someone who wants to understand the songs before changing them.

The long-term intention is to recruit the right bass player, drummer and any additional musicians the arrangements genuinely need. Piano, strings, harp and atmospheric elements appear in the demos, but a live version doesn't need to recreate everything literally. Part of the challenge will be finding powerful band arrangements that work onstage.

The ambition

The first step would be to meet, talk through the project and play a few songs stripped back to voices and guitars. If the musical connection is there, we would begin rehearsing regularly, establish which keys and arrangements suit the actual voices involved, and build a small live set before expanding to a full band.

The ambition is real performance, not endless online file-swapping. I want to reach the point where a group of musicians can stand onstage and give these songs their own expressions, emotions and energy.

This is currently a collaborative project in development, so expectations around rehearsal costs, recording, gigs, ownership of new contributions and any future income would be discussed openly and agreed before things become complicated.

Interested?

Please send a short introduction covering:

* Your musical background and influences.
* Whether you see yourself primarily as a singer, guitarist or both.
* Your general location and availability.
* Links to any live clips, recordings or rough phone videos.
* What appeals to you about an atmospheric, lyric-led original project.

Polished studio footage isn't necessary. A simple recording that shows your real voice and playing is more useful than something heavily processed.

I can share selected demos and lyrics privately with anyone who seems genuinely suited to the project.

London / surrounding area. Original material. Serious creative intent, with room for personality, interpretation and the occasional unexpected turn.