NAMED in our TEN FOR 2025 list at the start of the year, Edinburgh’s Fright Years have come out swinging with two emphatic headline shows in Glasgow and Edinburgh in January, as well as the release of their eagerly anticipated debut EP ’Still Life’ in February.
The band – comprised of Jules Kelly, Harrison MacLeod-Bonnar, Christopher Jamieson, and Struan Blacklock – are known for crafting indie rock that is as cinematic as it is emotionally charged, and their new EP ’Still Life’ arrived last week with much aplomb – imbuing 90s alt-rock, 80s post punk and modern indie into their potent mix.
From the widescreen, emotional punch of ’Stars’, to the moody, atmospheric ‘Do You Wanna’ to the resonant, profoundly cathartic ‘Aftersun’, it’s a record defined by cathartic peaks, shoe gaze-adjacent guitars, complimentary synths, powerful lead vocals, yearning melodies and the kind of choruses that any arena-sized band would be proud of. It’s an accomplished collection from a band we look forward to seeing more of in the coming year.
So, following the release of ‘Still Life’, and with their UK tour now announced, we caught up with the band to find out about their year ahead, their influences and new music.
How are you feeling ahead of 2025?
Opening the year with two Scottish headliners has us feeling so energised. They’re our first opportunity to debut live the songs from our EP ‘Still life’ out on February 28th. Getting to release day is such a long process and we had to be patient over the last year. We’re just happy 2025 has arrived and we can share everything we’ve been working on.
Are you currently writing new music? What can listeners expect from it?
We tried to record our upcoming EP in the same arrangement as we would play the songs live. We wanted it to be quite straightforward and transferable like that. For the music we’re writing now, we’re going to throw that idea out the window and experiment more in the studio. Providing new challenges in both the recording process and live setup, we hope it will take us somewhere completely new.
Who are you influenced by?
It tends to be specific songs that we’re all inspired by. Some recent favourites have been Someone Great LCD Soundsystem, Sexy Goodbye by Chloe Qisha, Hope – REM, Pumpkin – Been Stellar
How has your songwriting and music evolved since your first started out?
I think it’s just got bolder, mostly in its delivery of sensitivities and stories that are genuinely true. There’s a confidence behind our more stripped back arrangements and we write more directly now. We always want the core songwriting to be easy to understand and get behind, with the point being to capture something complicated in the simplest terms.
What’s your biggest achievement to date?
Receiving funding from Creative Scotland is definitely the achievement that has impacted us the most. It allowed us the opportunity to work with producer Theo Verney down in Brighton, and that stability added so much joy to the whole process, making it really special.
What are you looking forward to most in 2025?
We’re excited to get back in the studio to record some new tunes, but we also can’t wait to head out on our debut tour which will see us play London, Norwich, Manchester and Edinburgh.’
