No Way Back

Australian production duo Planet Of Souls team up with vocalist Nicki Wells on the future Trip Hop classic ‘No Way Back’, the first single from their upcoming album ‘Lumiere’.

Planet Of Souls is the new collaborative project from producers Paul Rogers and Tom Barlow, born from a desire to fuse heartfelt songwriting with cinematic, electronic soundscapes. United by a passion for analog synths and the golden era of ’90s and ’00s electronica, their music channels the spirit of artists like Jon Hopkins, Massive Attack, RY X, and The Chemical Brothers. Though the project is new, both artists bring a wealth of experience to the table. Rogers has previously collaborated with UNKLE, Sasha, Pete Tong, and Gorillaz, with his recent work receiving support from BBC Radio 1 and SiriusXM. Barlow’s productions, meanwhile, have found a home on Hernan Cattaneo’s Sudbeat imprint and earned praise from the likes of Carl Cox. Since launching Planet Of Souls, their first few singles have already gained support from BBC Radio 1, NOTION, and DMY, and ‘One’ was also featured in Netflix’s The Survivor - which reached #2 globally on the platform earlier this year.

Nicki Wells is a multidisciplinary artist whose music blends Indian classical, Celtic folk, Eastern European choral traditions, and Western pop into a sound that feels both ancient and contemporary. Based in Monmouth, Wales, her upbringing across London, rural Italy, the Himalayas, and the Cotswolds shaped a creative voice rooted in cultural diversity and natural landscapes. As a performer, she has graced some of the world’s most iconic stages, including the Royal Albert Hall, the Sydney Opera House, and Glastonbury’s Pyramid Stage. Her work as a composer and vocalist spans film and television - with credits including Mowgli, Midnight’s Children, The Legend of Hercules, and the BBC series Human Planet - as well as contemporary dance and theatre, with scores featured at Sadler’s Wells, the Royal Opera House, and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

On ‘No Way Back’, Planet Of Souls and Nicki Wells join forces on an ethereal single that recalls the golden age of ’90s/’00s Trip Hop, a period that saw the rise of pioneering acts like Massive Attack, Portishead, UNKLE, and Zero 7. Driven by atmospheric production and haunting vocals, the track pays homage to the genre’s legacy while carving out a distinctly modern identity.

“‘No Way Back’ blends so many of the influences we grew up with in the 1990s - from Air, Zero 7 and Massive Attack to Nitin Sawhney and The Cinematic Orchestra. We collaborated with a number of phenomenal musicians to build the harmonic layers and textures over the synths, guitar pedal FX and foley ambience that form the track’s foundation. The string composition really gave the song its memorable melody, and the amazing Jade MacRae orchestrated them around Paul’s idea, adding her own creative touches. Nicki Wells, who features on the track, is an incredible artist whose work bridges Western and Eastern influences; she’s also worked closely with Nitin Sawhney, a producer we deeply admire. We felt incredibly privileged when she agreed to collaborate with us.”

’No Way Back’ is out now on Anjunachill.