IT has been a big week for new music, particularly in Scotland where we’ve been treated to new tracks from Catholic Action, The Ninth Wave, DRIFT, Kathryn Joseph and more. Check them out below alongside new offerings from Dry Cleaning, Matt Maltese and Talk Show.
Catholic Action ‘One Of Us’
If ‘In Memory Of’ was wrly pointing towards what direction the band were heading in, then ‘One of Us’ confirms all our suspicions that Catholic Action were onto something very special indeed. Loud, immediate and more creatively liberated than we’ve ever heard them before, the track is a direct and stabbing response to the tumultuous and worrying times we live in today.
Their angular approach to pop is still very much present correct, with its addictive vocals and sharp, incisive guitars, but it feels fresh, invigorated and vital than ever before. It’s a thrilling return from one of the city’s most exciting bands.
Frontman Chris McCrory said of the track ‘One of Us’ was written as a direct response to what I see happening in the UK – a country ravaged by poverty and a disintegrating social fabric of increasingly isolated and intoxicated people. A neglected group spun in circles by an uncaring billionaire-owned media, (mis)led into pointing the finger at one another as opposed to those truly responsible for this situation. A depressing but common problem in 2019…sound familiar?
The Ninth Wave ‘Human Behaviour’
The Ninth Wave have given us another preview of Infancy Part 2 with the release of ‘Human Behaviour’. Led by Haydn Park-Patterson, it’s a deeply emotional track that opens with an understated piano melody as he ruminates over the breakdown of a relationship. With nothing left to save, only the devastating acceptance of the outcome, it’s perhaps one of the band’s most open and lyrically honest tracks to date and it makes for deeply moving listen.
LUNIR ‘Cubs’
German-Scottish duo LUNIR are back with a gleaming new single called ‘Cubs’. A highly addictive slice of electro-pop, the track conjures feelings of freedom and unbridled joy, the carefree innocence of childhood and sun-drenched happiness. It’s delivered with an effortless cool aswell – through Becky Sikasa’s rich and sultry vocal, smooth harmonies, pulsating rhythms and jangly guitar melodies. It makes for an intoxicating listen and we can’t wait to see them win over the crowds at Tenement Trail next week.
Drift ‘First Place’
After celebrating one year as a band with an enthralling display at 13th Note last night, Paisley electronic duo DRIFT are back with a surprise new single ‘First Place’. After exploring higher tempos and glittering club beats on ‘Edge of Love’, their new track is more ambient and slow-burning in style but equally mesmerising in execution. Linzi Clark’s stunning vocal, which has become such a calling card of their sound, is set against a backdrop of meditative synths and drum machines, taking their carefully crafted sound to intoxicating new heights.
Kathryn Joseph ‘Whole’
‘Whole’ is the latest single from the inimitable Kathryn Joseph and is said to mark the closure of another exciting chapter for the singer-songwriter, defined by the release of her critically acclaimed second album ‘from when I wake the want is’. An artist who has continuously been praised for her raw honesty, it’s a typically open and emotional performance from Joseph which is delivered over a circling piano melody. It’s a haunting yet deeply moving return as she says “Whole’ is the last song of the circle and me knowing how fucking lucky I am.”
Matt Maltese ‘Curl Up and Die’
South London maverick Matt Maltese is back with his first new single since his incredible debut album ‘Contestant’. Exploring “the disgusting and absurd force of love”, ‘Curl Up and Die’ is a tender piano-led ballad that digs deep into the all-encompassing feeling of being madly in love in someone with lyrics like “I worshipped the ground you walked on / I’d cut off my ear for you / I worshipped the towel you dried on / I’d kill all my friends for you.” Lyrically incisive and deeply engaging from start to finish, it was recorded and produced in Matt’s Elephant and Castle bedroom studio.
Dry Cleaning ‘Viking Hair’
It’s fair to say that London’s Dry Cleaning have seized our attention over the last few months with their highly refreshing brand of post-punk. After a string of impressive singles this year, the hotly tipped outfit are now back with another track from their upcoming EP ‘Boundary Road Snacks and Drinks’ and it finds them at their most absorbing. Florence Shaw’s signature deadpan and sardonic vocal is delivered against some more biting post-punk as they say the track is about “romantic ideas about someone you’re attracted to but don’t know well, and distracting things seen in the street.”
Talk Show ‘Ankle Deep (In a Warm Glass of Water)’
With the release of their latest track, Talk Show have once again proven that they’re a band everyone should be keeping an eye on. After their gripping debut ‘Fast and Loud’, their new single ‘Ankle Deep (In a Warm Glass of Water)’ is propelled by galloping drums and dangerously slinky bassline. Built on an appreciation for dark and brooding post-punk, there’s glimpses of romantic introspection in frontman Harrison Swann’s northern drawl as the rhythm section builds and builds as if it’s transporting us to the set of a Spaghetti Western.
MC Salum (ft Priya) ‘Jungle Kids’
With new and exciting music communities cropping up all over Scotland, it has to be said that the city of Dundee has been experiencing a definite purple patch of creativity in recent times. With the likes of ST.MARTiiNS, Beta Waves, Be Charlotte and the likes of Sahara all making waves over the last 12 months, it’s time to shine a light on the city once again and introduce a new discovery called MC Salum. Brimming with early noughties UK garage vibes, there’s hooks aplenty and a real international flavour to his brand new single ‘Jungle Kids’. Having spent time developing his sound the help of Hitmonlee and The Millhouse Collective, the rapper teams up with Liam James who is on production duties while there’s also a pop vocal from Priya thrown into the mix. It’s a highly addictive concoction that will appeal to the masses.