It’s hard not to smile when Cassia are in the room – be it during an interview or watching them joyfully play headline dates to sold-out audiences. Cassia combine the positive indie pop of bands like Foals and Vampire Weekend with the jazz-tinged afrobeats of Fela Kuti and Ebo Taylor and American folk influences like Paul Simon to create an individual sound that uplifts. In the words of Gigwise, the music comes from a band “on a mission to spread positivity.” With their confident combination of carefree lyricism, joyful melodies and infectious riffs, 2019 feels like the year when Cassia will finally emerge as one of the UK’s brightest young talents.