Gallus ‘Life is Bliss’
Gallus have unveiled their eagerly anticipated second album today, a record that they’ve described as an ‘angsty love letter to Glasgow’. Coming together very instinctively in the space of four weeks in the studio before being produced by Blair Crichton (Dead Pony), ‘LIFE IS BLISS’ touches down on themes like community, identity and upheaval – all while deftly walking the line between serious and silly. It’s so very Gallus. A confident, heartfelt, explosive, emotionally charged, chaotic, complete record that builds on their debut and takes them to a whole new level.
Taking the melodic swagger of their debut album and combining it with the raw, aggressive energy of their ‘Cool to Drive’ EP from 2025, everything feels bigger, louder, more amped up – as if any track could be a single. In their own words, ‘a singable wall of sound’. Opener ‘Au Contraire’ sets the breathless pace instantly, an anthemic battle cry with huge gang vocals and rousing guitar parts. Other highlights include the brilliant ‘MK Des (Missing Out)’, an ode to a character they met in Milton Keynes, ‘Stupid Dog’, an instant earworm, the dynamic ‘Donnie Murdo’ and ‘Something There’, a track that offers a welcome moment of respite from the relentless intensity. Perhaps the most meditative song we’ve heard from the band, it’s all centred around a huge, singalong chorus that feels as poignant as it does impassioned – yearning for glimmers of progress amid urban stagnation.
Rather poignantly, the album finishes with ‘M8’ – a darker, more brooding track about the motorway that famously carved through communities 50 years ago. The sound is reinforced by the starkly honest lyrics, inspired by a story of two friends separated when their homes were demolished for the motorway.
But for all the upheaval, frustration and change woven through the record, ‘LIFE IS BLISS’ ultimately feels like an act of defiance – perfectly encapsulating everything Gallus do best, marrying sharp, observational wit with infectious, anthemic punk rock. It’s a thrilling snapshot of a band only growing in confidence and ambition, and a record that belongs to them and Glasgow in equal measure. Go see them at the Art School next week on 2nd October.
See the full interview here.
Curiosity Shop ‘Bound for the Sky’
Edinburgh’s Curiosity Shop have unveiled their debut EP ‘Bound For The Sky’. Building on the promise of those early singles ‘Crows’ and ‘Wandering Arrow’, which both feature, it’s a standout collection defined by its gorgeous harmonies and warm, organic instrumentals. Combining the hymnal sounds of Fleet Foxes with traditional Scottish folk influences, it feels refreshing, affirming and beautifully timeless.
Chvrches ‘Roses’
Five years after the release of their last album, CHVRCHES are officially back. Marking a distinct sonic shift for the trio, the new song is an electro-rock slow burner that adds more layers of tension and tenacity to their sound. It’s also a scathing piece of contemporary social commentary, a confrontation with the darker undercurrents of Britain.
“This is the longest break we had ever taken between albums and when we got together to write new music, we wanted to really push ourselves and not be retreading ground we’d walked before,” says Mayberry. “I really think we achieved that. It feels like the most coherent vision we’ve had as a band. We’re excited to be back…”
Declan Welsh & The Decadent West ‘
Declan Welsh has emerged from the studio with the announcement of a new album ‘Explicit Agitation’, coming on 12th February, alongside a new AA-side single ‘Run Down Small Town’ and ‘City Used To Be Alive’. The first is an uncompromising, hard-hitting track that takes aim at the long-term decline of communities across Britain and beyond. Imbued with a sense of unease, it’s driven by the band’s trademark urgency, raw guitars, synths and pounding drums – with Welsh in typically incisive form, spitting the words out with passion and ferocity. Not just a political examination though, he still shines a light on the human impact of this decline, lending the track more emotional weight.
“It’s a description of a snapshot in time and place, and an argument about how it got there,” he says. “It’s crazy how utterly expendable these places that used to have a purpose have become.”
‘This City Used To Be Alive’ takes a parallel perspective, turning its attention from struggling smaller towns to the changing character of major cities. Marking the first track he’s self-produced, it’s less aggressive but just as impactful – set over danceable synths and tight hooks.
Setting the tone for what’s to come, the two new tracks encapsulate what the album is about: changing communities, disappearing industries, social disconnection and what happens when those vital structures disappear. It’s clear the singer-songwriter is returning in bold, incisive form – taking his socially conscious sound into more ambitious and inventive spaces.
Soapbox ‘DRAFTED’
SOAPBOX may have been busy on the road recently, but new track ‘DRAFTED’ is their first release of 2026. A far cry from the fast, aggressive hard-hitting punk we’re used to hearing from the band, it opens with bouncy basslines, jangly guitars and a playful, tongue-in-cheek vocal from Tom Rowan – ‘time to buckle up, we’re all getting drafted!’, he delivers with a load of sardonic wit. But it’s not all light – they shift into heavy, searing sections to reveal the darkness that lies beneath the message.
Fright Years ‘Dye Star’
Edinburgh band Fright Years have built a strong reputation in recent years for their cinematic, emotionally resonant indie-pop. Led by the magnetic Jules Kelly, their music is defined by soaring vocals, big, luminous hooks and a deep emotional core – and new single ‘Dye Star’ takes that up another level. Set over buoyant drums and driving guitars, it finds them occupying grander, space for their music – trading in the raw feel of earlier material for something more more confident and assured. Lyrically, it’s about looking inward, exploring different versions of yourself, and the journey of finding a recognisable face within oneself – striking a perfect balance between the bright, upbeat instrumental and the emotional fragility that lies beneath.
“Dye Star is the journey towards trusting your own vision and having the courage to stand by your decisions. Lyrically it questions how many versions of yourself there will be before you feel fulfilled, and why happiness can stem from something small on one day and be reserved for a grand vision of yourself on another. The song doesn’t give an answer, because I don’t have one yet, but repeating the question to the end, ‘how do I know when I get what I want’. makes the unknown feel brighter.”
Burglar ‘Cappadocia’
Set to make their TENEMENT TRAIL debut next month, Irish alt-rockers Burglar have shared their third single ‘Cappadocia’. After meeting in college and bonding over their love of bands like Stereolab and The Smashing Pumpkins, the duo deal in big hooks, scruffy, distorted guitar pop and buzzing synths. And they never take themselves too seriously either – there’s a rose-tinted, youthful feel to the band’s melody-driven, harmonic sound.
Discussing the new track’s origins, Eduardo Pinheiro explained: “’Cappadocia’ is my happy place. It’s somewhere to escape to and fly over the mountains in an air balloon, and I’ve always thought of it as the perfect honeymoon trip. It’s a romantic thing to do with the person you love. It’s also an exaggeration of a dream and an abstraction of what it might mean to reach the ‘other side’ and finally find happiness. I’ve come to realise that I was the only one who saw this place. Some people will never see Cappadocia and that’s what I’m mourning in the song. All that time, I’d wanted someone special to acknowledge it, but I just needed to get there by myself.”
Hound ‘Another Lifetime in a Different Country’
Glasgow four-piece Hound shared their excellent debut album ‘Another Lifetime in a Different Country’ last week – a sharp, melodic slacker-rock record exploring the emotional geography of leaving home, changing friendships, and making peace with where you came from. Drawing on the experiences of guitarist, singer and lyricist Zack Manson, born and raised in Shetland and now based in Glasgow, the band channel the power-pop hooks and fuzzy romanticism of Teenage Fanclub, Pavement, and early Smashing Pumpkins – with heartfelt, personal lyrics that are at times grounded in their specificity but still universally resonant. It’s warm, fuzzy, optimistic, reflective – seizing the heart as much as the head with its infectious hooks and yearning melodies. Highlights include ‘Hard Pass’, with its glossy pop choruses, hand claps and sweet melodies; the distorted, gauzy and melancholic ‘Rallying’ which is easily the heaviest on the record; the breezy ‘Can’t Sue Yourself’ and the moving, introspective closer ‘Hometown’.
The Joy Hotel ‘May Queen’
The Joy Hotel recently announced the release of their second album ‘Consume’, coming on 29th January 2027. It’s said to push their distinctive sound into stranger, more ambitious territory, weaving together their psychedelic rock, folk, Americana, indie and experimental influences, and still underpinned by the trademark vocal harmonies of Luke Boyce and Emme Woods and a cinematic sense of scale. New single ‘May Queen’ encapsulates that perfectly – it’s layered with sound, yet never loses its immediacy.
Angine de Poitrine ‘Zugzegk’
Everyone’s favourite polka-dot, microtonal duo Angine de Poitrine made their US television debut recently on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. The band brought a new, unreleased song “Zugzegk” to the Studio 6B stage, playing with their signature mixture of precision and wild abandon. A self-described “Mantra-Rock Dada Pythagorean-Cubist Orchestra,” they shared their latest album, Vol. II, in April, in the midst of landmark year. They return to the UK and EU for a further run of sold-out dates this October, including a show at Glasgow’s O2 Academy.
Jawdropped ‘Secret to Spare’
If you like big-hearted indie rock that sounds like it’s come straight from the 90s, Jawdropped may be your new favourite band. The LA band shared their debut album ‘Secret to Spare’ last week, and it’s full of jangle pop hooks, scuzzy guitars and infectious melodies. Channelling the likes of Teenage Fanclub, Dinosaur Jr, The Lemonheads, the immediate, raw feel of a band recording live together in a room. “From the start, we wanted to make music that felt like Los Angeles,” Zangari explains while discussing the ambitions that currently drive Jawdropped. “There’s a sensibility of Los Angeles music where, under the sunshine and brightness, there’s this seedier, melancholy, darker aspect. We’re trying to carve out our own niche in that vein.”
