Marking her first release in three years, Zoe Graham ushered in a new era this year with the release of ‘Evilin’. There’s shades of St Vincent, Beck and Kate Bush in the textured track – plush synths weave in and around taut rhythms while she circles back to a catchy chorus. There’s more colour and confidence to Graham’s songwriting – as she takes her sound down exciting new routes.

‘Evilin is a battle cry” says Zoe. “It reads like a reenactment of how it feels to be purposely confused. Evilin is a channeller of emotional exhaustion. Someone you feel like you depend on and feel scared of all at once. Someone you will put before yourself, and not in a fun way. She isn’t good for you, but there’s something about her you wish you could be more of yourself, a determined independence, relentlessness but a lack of empathy.”

Known for their distinctive DIY aesthetic, Dutch Wine’s music is always imbued with a raw, potent energy that lends an urgency to their songwriting, far removed from any modern indie rock tropes or over production. And ‘If I Fall Through The Ceiling’ is another great example of this. The arrival of new member Lou Mackey does add a new dynamic to the fold – her vocals the perfect foil to Calvin Smith’s earnest delivery. Opening in rather understated fashion with underlying melancholy, it opens up to a full-bodied eom rocker – driven by one of their finest choruses to date.

Speaking about its inspiration, Smith said: “I centred the lyrics around the idea that I often have to assume what I’m doing is the correct decision. I can be incredibly indecisive, so holding onto the hope that everything happens for a reason takes a bit of weight off my shoulders. I don’t exactly believe in fate as such, but sometimes life takes control and you do end up exactly where you’re meant to be. It’s also a bit about perseverance and not giving up on your dreams, which I’m sure a lot of creatives can relate to. Hope can be damaging sometimes but it can also end up being your best friend.

When Lou added her vocals in, it felt like everything just fell into place all over again. Her vocals slotted in so perfectly and really added a whole new layer to our sound in such a positive manner.”

Meet Nü Cros, a band from the North East of Glasgow who deal in bludgeoning noise-punk. The band seized our attention with ‘CREASED’ – a three-minute assault of hammering drums, guitars and the gravelled screams of Kevin O’Brien. Erupting into a formidable wall of sound, it’s a track that holds nothing back – fearless, intense and endlessly gripping.

Built on a foundation of skittering beats and low-key guitar strums, ‘Church Music’ is easily the most dynamic and accomplished offering to date from Indoor Fozes -surging to life with a hard-hitting chorus that’s as addictive as it is cathartic. At the centre of it all is her captivating vocals – honest and powerful as she explores feelings of ‘loneliness’ and ’self-righteousness’, a deep longing for connection and the acceptance of letting one go. Written alongside Fatherson’s Ross Leighton and brought to life by esteemed producer Jamie Holmes, it feels anthemic yet emotive, upbeat yet wistful – a sweet balance that makes you want to go back again and again. Recently signed to Bold Cut Records, it featured on the ‘Sadolescence’ EP.

Brooke Combe debut album on the way via Modern Sky Records called ‘Dancing At The Edge of the World’ – and ‘The Last Time’ is set to feature. Soulful, poppy and endlessly infectious, it sees Combe deliver an upbeat and confident vocal performance – increasing anticipation for the debut record.

“This album is the most authentic piece of work I’ve done so far. After experimenting with a few different styles and working with different song writers, I decided to go back to my roots and work with my original team and created something that I genuinely love. We’ve created a real summer soul album. Recorded live to tape, it captures similar vibes to all my favourite old soul records, and delves into themes relating to love, toxic relationships (no surprises there), as well as exploring escapism. Overall this album is raw, mean, groovy & emotional.”

The Big Day followed up this year’s ‘Back to Business’ with ‘Send It’ – an ambitious statement of intent that packs an almighty punch. Launched with an opening salvo of stabbing synths and bass, it’s a track that demands attention from the outset – driving forwards with a real sense of purpose and forceful intent.  They say “Send It’ is about devoting yourself to your passion in life and giving it everything you have and more. Blood, sweat and tears. It’s about viewing the people who doubt you as fuel to your fire, whilst seizing every single opportunity that comes your way and making the absolute most of it. Every second counts.”

‘Never Needs Me’ features on Rachel Chinouriri’s debut album ‘What a Devastating Turn of Events’ which came out this year to widespread acclaim. It’s a brilliant album which explores themes of love, heartbreak, grief and more with wit and introspection, all against a spiky, infectious indie.

‘Never Need Me’ is one of its many highlights – exploring the concept of having to put yourself first when you realise helping the person you care for is damaging you.

“I made this song with a sense of heartbreak but empowerment,” Chinouriri says. “It’s about taking your power back the moment you realise that helping someone is actually hurting you because they aren’t willing to change. Sometimes you end up enabling someone instead of actually helping them and carrying their load is tough. ‘Never Need Me’ is the moment you wish them well but you can’t continue to harm yourself by helping them. It’s always a tough decision to make but once you make it, it’s a weight lifted off your shoulders for sure.”

Written between Los Angeles, Austin, London, and their hometown Glasgow, Walt Disco shared their second album this year ‘The Warping’ – an expansive and introspective follow-up to ‘Unlearning’, exploring themes of change, growth, gender dysphoria and self-knowledge against a backdrop of grand orchestral soundscapes of horn, woodwind, and string sections.

Lead single ‘You Make Me Feel So Dumb’ was one of its many highlights – a cynical pop banger about social burnout experienced after networking on tour. Sparkling with ingenuity, the influence of funk and disco shines through the understated melodies.

Hamish Hawk shared third album this year ‘A Firmer Hand’. His best and boldest work to date examines the complexities of the relationships with men in his life (‘friends, lovers, family, colleagues’) and, by extension, the complexities within himself. The results are heartfelt, honest, powerful, direct and irresistible. ‘Black Cat Tattoos’ is one of its many highlights – driven by a powerful bassline and striking a balance between poppy, playful, melodic and adventurous – both sonically and lyrically.

With a live reputation that almost precedes them at this point, the five-piece channel all of this infectious energy into ‘CHONGA’s two minute and 45 second runtime – careening through fast and furious riffs, pulse-quickening rhythms and hook-laden guitar lines. The band say ‘CHONGA embodies the demon we all have inside of us. CHONGA is everywhere, but it merely a voice in our heads. Put simply, CHONGA is ‘The Fear’’. Laid down in the studio with Jamie Holmes and Johnny Madden, what emerges is their punchiest and most infectious release to date.

Marking a definitive step forward for the rapper, PSweatpants shared two EPs this year, the latter of which was ‘2LeftFeet’. Produced by fellow rising star FinnFM, it is imbued with a mix of gritty UK grime, high-energy jungle and old-school rave influences. Impossible to box in, the genre-defying production provides the perfect backdrop to Psweat’s hard-hitting flow and vivid lyrics – as he explores themes of resilience, living in the moment and enjoying it. It makes for an invigorating and infectious listen – the latter track in particular ‘HeadOfftheGround’ moves at breakneck speed against a fierce, club-ready beat.

Fourth Daughter transports us to the Balearic sun with the release of her energetic single ‘Higher (Just A Feeling). Speaking of the track, she said: “Lyrically the inspiration was just about how looking forward can actually be the thing to carry you – when you feel optimism about letting go and you’re just buzzing. I wish I could bottle the feeling that went into the song that day.” She captures this feeling of catharsis perfectly with an intoxicating blend of radiant vocals and pulsating synths. A soaring and luminous return, it was also picked as Radio 1’s track of the week this summer.

Unveiled on 2nd January of this year, ‘Joni’ is one of the standout moments on her debut EP ‘For The World’ – transforming the punchy, pop-punk energy of previous tracks into a poignant moment of nostalgia and reflection. More stripped back than we’ve heard before, her yearning vocals and heartfelt lyrics are given time to shine over a light, wistful instrumental that shows hints of The Cure and The Cranberries. Written from a place of loneliness and homsickness, there’s definitely glimmers of hope to take from her thoughtful reflections.

Speaking about the track, she said: I wrote it in the low ebb of a blue black winter. Having not long moved to Glasgow, I was lonely and oftentimes confused. Could you really choose your home? Decide on a place and make one there?

‘Slowly I did. Home became a familiar Burns poem in a far-flung bookshop. Tracing the lines of a new transport system til they felt like veins. Hearing flickers of a song by The Cranberries, after it goes viral on TikTok. My fingertips settling in on the same shapes on new guitars. Spending half an hour in a record shop just to listen to Joni Mitchell’s Blue, as though it were an eavesdropped conversation.

‘The days are getting longer now. They’ll get shorter again and longer again and we’ll soothe ourselves in between.’

Evidently a much more raw and honest offering from Wunderhorse, ‘Midas’ – the title track of this year’s excellent second album ‘ takes influence from crunchy blues-rock guitars and Bob Dylan-esque lyricism. It’s no surprise the song received huge accolades on social media, where fans became familiar with the melody and riffs from live videos taken from their tour late last year. Frontman Jacob Slater comments, “The song was written in a bathtub in Paris, and forgotten about until it resurfaced in Minnesota. Midas is the guy who makes you feel like a pencil stub, all used up and nothing to show for it, but it’s always just business as far as he’s concerned.

‘Inaction’ is one of the band’s most direct songs to date and a powerful response to the continued inaction of our politicians, media and general citizens in the face of the ongoing genocide in Gaza. At 188bpm, it’s a song made to be played in front of a live crowd – an onslaught of frenzied guitars and Welsh’s characteristically potent lyrics.

Declan Welsh: ‘This is a song written after nearly a year of watching the worst things imaginable happen to people on a daily basis live-streamed while everyone has various debates about whether it should happen, and we all stand up and say that it shouldn’t while it continues. It is a criticism of the idea of debate in and of itself, and of the limits of free discussion and expression as a tool to be used by people to change things. It’s a frenetic, frustrated, five hundred mile an hour punk song designed to be played live and felt.’

One of the biggest breakout stars of the year, Chappell Roan’s rise to pop superstar has been nothing short of extraordinary. With ‘Good Luck, Babe!’, Roan set out to write a “big anthemic pop song” – and she came up with this career-making hit, turning her debut album ‘The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess’ into an overdue worldwide hit. The song itself sees her serve up home truths to someone desperately trying to deny their queerness – it’s soaring, profound and a near-perfect synth pop track.

One of the most iconic collabs of the year, ‘Girl, so confusing’ was initially perceived as a Lorde diss track – but the remix put all that to bed, unveiling a strong statement about the pressure placed on young women in the public eye, how that is often internalised and can impact relationships. A celebration of womanhood that also showcases what can drive them apart, the track finds the two pop trailblazers lifting each other up as Lorde delivers one of the most astute and honest verses of the year.  A watershed moment for pop, it’s nuanced, vibrant and absolutely iconic.

A real sense of mystery shrouded The Era until late this year, only breaking cover for a spat of live appearances, including a debut sold-out show at the 100 Club in support of VLURE and a sold-out headline at Glasgow’s Broadcast back in May. And after seizing the attention of those in attendance, they unveiled their debut track in October – a dark, confident number carried by industrial beats, an alluring lead vocal and dark, moody riffs courtesy of the clasarch, the traditional Celtic harp. Produced by VLURE’s Conor Goldie, it’s an intriguing introduction that suggests an eclectic range of influences such as Yves Tumor, Sky Ferreira, The Kills, The Jesus and Mary Chain and more.

Formed over a shared love of electronic music, Neal McHarg and Amelia Boyle teamed up with McHarg’s long-time collaborator Jagz Kooner (Primal Scream, The Chemical Brothers, Soulwax) to release ‘Day by Day’ earlier this year.. Having originally started to take shape in lockdown, McHarg decided to revisit the initial journey that began years ago with the producer and the results are nothing short of invigorating. ‘Day By Day’ is a pulsing slice of electronica that barely pauses for breath – evoking heady nights on the dancefloor with the expert layering of Justice, The Chemical Brothers and more. Exploring the monotony of going back to the status quo after the trauma of the pandemic, there’s absolutely nothing stale about the instrumental – instead it builds and builds into total catharsis.

Known for his invigorating DJ sets that straddle the worlds of rock and roll and pulsating electronica, Dan South’s first single ‘RISE’ channels the powerful, rolling energy of bands like Primal Scream, Prodigy, New Order and Justice and the undeniable grit and swagger of GOAT and Queens of the Stone Age.

Teaming up with Glasgow’s Ian MacKinnon (Medicine Men, Selective Service), the frontman brings his inimitable charismas and swagger to the track – delivering his unifying sermon over DAN SOUTH’S gripping production.

Tapping into the frustrations of being lorded over by the heartless ruling classes, what emerges is a triumphant message of hope and unity.

Edinburgh’s rEDOLENT unveiled their debut album ‘dinny greet’ this year via Post Electric. The band explore a series of dark themes such as heartbreak, alcoholism, dead-end jobs, mental health issues and more in the album’s runtime, with the over-arching idea of seeking the brighter side and coming out the other side – as alluded to in its title. In carving out their own distinctly unique sound – one defined by skittering drums, soft hushed vocals and weaving synths – the band have somehow perfectly captured the anxieties of modern life. It’s a sound that feels claustrophobic and anxious yet simultaneously giddy and hopeful. Paired with thoughtful lyrics and innovative arrangements, the title track sums this all up perfectly  – striking a balance between hard reality and joyous escapism.

Featuring James Graham of The Twilight Sad, this track is a stunning collaboration between two of Scotland’s finest musical talents – Katie Lynch’s delicate vocals the perfect complement to Graham’s emotionally charged brogue. Both artists are known for their powerfully introspective and emotive songwriting and when they combine, it’s every bit as impactful as you’d expect – with a stunningly intense chorus at the heart of it.

Theo Bleak comments, “This song feels like a rare dream come true. I am grateful beyond words to have collaborated with all named above , my kind and creative friends who I respect and love.”

Songwriter Jacob Alon has been on our radar for a while, delivering a goosebump-inducing performance at our very own TENEMENT TRAIL last year. What immediately stood out in that moment was Jacob’s extraordinary Buckley-esque vocals – soaring one minute, fragile the next, and always palpable with emotion and vulnerability. We hear all this and more on their debut single ‘Fairy in a Bottle’ – an emotionally intimate track that recounts an obsessive and all-consuming love for an unavailable recipient. Citing Nick Drake and Adrianne Lenker as inspirations, their incredible vocals are delivered over dexterous acoustic guitar and stunning melodic arrangements. It makes for a stunning introduction to their songbook.

In the midst of heavy touring schedule this year, Gallus returned with electrifying new single ‘Wash Your Wounds’.

Packed full of guitar-driven verses, an infectious chorus and their notorious live energy, the recording features everything about Gallus that so many love, with ‘Wash Your Wounds’ marking another fine collection to their acclaimed discography. Plus, it features none other than Tina Sandwich on guest vocals – the perfect foil to Barry Dolan’s signature growl.

With clever wordplay and a theme of grounded realism, Gallus continue to nurture their reputation of thought-provoking bangers that continues to go down a storm at their live shows.

Dead Pony made a killer impact with their SAY shortlisted debut album ‘Ignore This’ this year – touring all over the UK and beyond, and winning over many new fans in the process. ‘Rainbows’ is a staple of their incendiary live shows. An anthem of self-love and acceptance, it’s a track bursting with positivity and of course, another killer chorus. Lead singer Anna Shields said: “RAINBOWS is a song about loving yourself. Growing up as a teenager, I always felt like a bit of an outcast and I never felt comfortable in my own skin. It’s only as I’ve gotten older, I’ve realised that being true to yourself is the most beautiful thing that you can be and that you don’t need to fit the mould to be worthy of loving who you are.

“This song is for 13 year old Anna and all of the other people out there who haven’t yet realised that their differences are beautiful. Just remember, no matter how bleak things may seem, Rainbows always come and things always get better.”

Lacuna have quickly grown a word-of-mouth following this year thanks to striking live performances (including TENEMENT TRAIL) and a series of impressive releases. Characteristically opening in a gracefully, understated fashion, ‘Saint Bernadette’ carefully layers gentle vocal harmonies, yearning strings, pulsing drums and guitars, before culminating in a cathartic release of screamed prayers and harmonies. It’s another accomplished addition to their catalogue.

Starburster’ kickstarted the next voyage of world-renowned Irish rockers Fontaines D.C earlier this year with much aplomb. Driven by a drum beat reminiscent of hip-hop, the new track is perhaps the group’s most honest offering yet. Accompanied by a visually stunning music video directed by Aube Perrie, an immense sense of anxiety and suffocation is propelled through the track in a constant reference to Chatten’s inner battles. The tune was the first single from the band’s ‘Romance’ album which has since set the world alight.

Guitarist Conor Deegan comments on the new album. “We’ve always had this sense of idealism and romance, each album gets further away from observing that through the lens of Ireland, as directly as Dogrel. The second album (A Hero’s Death) is about that detachment, and the third (Skinty Fia) is about Irishness dislocated in the diaspora. Now we look to where and what else there is to be romantic about.”

Soapbox emphasise intense displeasure with Scottish transport with belligerent new single ‘Private Public Transport’, released through Glasgow label Bold Cut.

Known for their relatable social commentary lyricism and riotous live shows, the punk-quartet have rapidly developed a stellar reputation that sets them apart within the Scottish music scene.

Lyrically emphasising frustration with bus and railway services in Scotland, singer Tom Rowan explains, ‘I wrote it while riding a nextbike in the pishing rain cos the 2 bus hadn’t showed up’.

Displaying influence from the likes of Soft Play and Viagra Boys, Soapbox evolve their initial sounds showcased in debut singles ‘Value Added Glasgow’ and ‘Mad Jungle Beat’, into the full blown energy presented within their third track released in early January this year.

With an award-winning film, acclaimed album ‘Fine Art’ and triumphant tour all in the bag, few have had a busier year than cult Belfast rap trio Kneecap. ‘Better Way To Live’ saw them team up with Fontaines D.C.’s Grian Chatten for their funky and infectious tune ‘Better Way To Live’. With Toddla T drummer Tom Coll also lending a hand to the track, it sees the trio’s verses buoyed by Chatten’s chorus about finding clarity away from the business of everyday life.

“Better Way To Live” is all about finding that little spark of joy in the monotony, in the day-to-day things that you barely bat an eye at. In between the moments of that repetitive lift of the pint, or spark of a cigarette, there is an opportunity for bliss. underneath that constant noise, there is a silence that can breathe new life and inspiration breaking through the mundane.

Formed by their love of Scottish and Irish folk music, punk and garage rock, Falkirk outfit Brògeal enjoyed a huge breakthrough 2024 that saw them travel all over the UK and Ireland, supporting the likes of the Mary Wallopers and the Wolfe Tones, playing TRNSMT, a sold-out St Lukes and winning ‘Best Rock/Alternative’ at the SAMAS 2024. Propelled by the release of their debut self-titled EP, ‘Girl from NYC’ captures all that we love about the band – brimming with rowdy youthful energy and killer hooks. Described as “a reflection of how young Scots feel about the mundanity of small town life”, it’s full of tongue-in-cheek lyricism, driving chords, banjo, jangly bazouki solos and singlaong choruses. And it takes our top spot for 2024.