WE can always rely on Fuzzkill Records to do something completely out of the box and thoughtful. To celebrate Valentine’s Day again this year, they have assembled a 31-track compilation of love song covers – and a couple of original love songs – called Under the Covers Vol. II. Featuring acts from Scotland, England and further afield, the bands which have contributed to the release span genres such as power pop, punk, psych and garage rock among others.

There’s a lot of variation to be had on this lengthy compilation. You’ll get an 8-bit version of ‘I’m a Believer’ from BIN MEN, an eerie, emotive rendition of The Beach Boys’ ‘Caroline, No’ from Dark Mark, and Twin Mirrors’ Slade-esque twist on David Bowie’s ‘Modern Love’. That’s just a small selection of tracks on this compiled list of covers that can easily boast innovation instead of producing a carbon copy of the original track.

At the top of the list in terms of quality, we have Catholic Action’s wonderfully accessible cover of Silver Jews’ ‘Honk If You’re Lonely’; the sort of band you would expect to exude a captivating cover,  whilst Fruit Tones set the bar high at the start of the album with their trembling, reverberating vocals and dominating percussion that combine to give a nod to the original track from The Ronettes.

At the risk of 31 tracks becoming tedious, there’s a few love songs written especially for the album. Jesse Rae introduces us to an unorthodox love song that has a rather peculiar 80’s, yet futuristic, hook to it on ‘Over the Sea’. Velvet Morning dispense ‘All I Want Is You’ – not a U2 cover, but their own dreamy, whispering number that sounds like the sort of track worth chilling to. The Jackhammers’ feisty punk number ‘Used Rubber’ doesn’t sound like a conventional love song, but its lyrical theme does certainly suggest so.

All in all, this compilation is a intriguing concept that exemplifies the creativity of the Scottish music scene. There’s a track for everybody here: for those feeling love, losing love, wanting love; there’s enough to keep you satisfied one way or another.  Every artist that features in Under the Covers Vol. II takes it upon their stride to structure a cover in their own fashion  and you’d think for an album that has 31 songs, there would be one track that would entirely replicate its master. While some artists alter the tracks into an enigmatic style, some just simply make it theirs – as if they wrote the track themselves in the first place. It’s for a great cause, and it’s worth the donation.

The mixtape is to be released on a limit run of 100 cassette copies and is available to purchase now.