KuLeeAngee ‘Pretty Love’
Following the release of their debut EP ‘Is It Awryt’, our favourite Scottish party starters KuLeeAngee have kicked off the year with a new banger called ‘Pretty Love’. Part of a project expected to arrive later in the year, the song bears all the hallmarks of their trademark sound – it an instant groover, set against an infectious beat and malleable synths, with those addictive funky, disco, acid-house influences coming to the fore. They play King Tuts tomorrow night as part of New Year’s Revolution.
Hen Hoose Collective’ Sirens Call My Name’
Hen Hoose Collective have shared their next single Sirens Call My Name – one of the most atmospheric moments from their forthcoming album The Twelve out 23rd January. Written by MALKA, Emma Pollock, Carla J Easton and Inge Thomson, and produced by MALKA and Inge Thomson, the track blends live instrumentation with electronics to create a cinematic, disco-inflected sound that explores themes of belonging, sisterhood and the pull of finding “home” through connection.
As Carla J Easton explains: “Cinematic, disco-infused, earthly calls from beyond, Sirens Call My Name is a devastatingly beautiful declaration of belonging – finding one’s home that was there all along, through time and song. Working together at Black Bay Studio was brilliant – nothing beats humans in a room, coming together via a love of music making. I’ve always been a fan of turning up at a studio, unrehearsed, and capturing gut instinct and inspiration on record”
The Twilight Sad ‘Designed To Lose’
The Twilight Sad have announced details of a new ten-track album ‘It’s The Long Goodbye’, out at the end of March. They’ve also shared its second single ‘Designed To Lose’ – a track that is said to set the tone for the record. Opening with a Joy Division-esque bassline before synths and guitars kick in, melodies swirl around James Graham’s emotive lead vocal as he pleads ‘“this can’t happen to you, I won’t let this happen to you…”. Backed by the urgency of the instrumental, it’s another fine example of the musical and emotional catharsis the band have alchemised over the years – but somehow more direct and exposed.
“In the past I’ve used a lot of metaphors within my lyrics,” he says. “With this, there’s not as much…The record is heavily influenced by my mental health, grief and loss, and the need to be strong in positions where you’re not feeling it. It’s a very human story, I think – this is just my version of it. I feel that everybody goes through something like this. Everybody loses somebody. Everybody questions life.”
Dictator ‘Screwball Scramble’
West Lothian outfit Dictator are chasing the winter blues away with their playful new single ‘Screwball Scramble’. A band who have long refused to fit in any moulds, there’s a mix of indie, hip hop and pop thrown into the mix here – along with brilliant guitar work and an excellent lead vocal from Michael Campbell. Imbued with a sense of carefree, youthful abandon, it’s an instantly addictive return from the outfit.
Westside Cowboy ‘So Much Country ‘Till We Get There’
Sure to be one of the most in-demand bands of the year, Westside Cowboy have today shared their new EP ‘So Much Country ‘Till We Get There’. The four-piece have barely stopped in the past couple of years, and this new five-track collection was created in that purple patch of creativity, capturing the sound of a band who clearly just enjoy making music together, rather than trying to find perfection within it. The term ‘Britainicana’ has been used to describe their college-rock-meets-thoughtful-folk sound and while this record is more expansive than their first EP, it’s still loose and unpredictable at times – effortlessly shifting from haunting, atmospheric moments to taut, melodic indie bangers. With elements of country sitting alongside indie guitar rushes and scrappy rhythms, it’s all tied together with a communal drive. It’s a compelling and instantly addictive listen – and we can’t wait see where this band go next.
Hot Face ‘Bumble Bean’
‘Bumble Bean’ is the latest track from Hot Face, who release their debut album ‘Automated Response’ on 23rd January via Speedy Wunderground. Speeding in at just 70 seconds in length, the hard-hitting track is full of raw energy and attitude as they deliver a relentless assault of guitars with vocals.
Vocalist James Bates shared on the new single, “Bumble Been is a 70 second blast of straight up garage rock delivered to the main line. Half rebel outcry, half call for the plight of the bumble bee – a short lived assault that doesn’t stop stinging until it does.”
Check out the full playlist here:
