Majesty Palm ‘Sick of Saying Your Name’
Majesty Palm are back with an immersive new single ‘Sick of Saying Your Name’. The duo shared their debut EP last year ‘Learning to Swim’, full of carefully crafted, electronic-infused indie pop. Defined by its dreamy melodies, infectious grooves and polished, measured approach, the pair have taken that sound and leapt forward – delving into the world of 90s trance, with propulsive rhythms and atmospheric soundscapes. The heartfelt lyrics are still there, but the instrumental feels darker and more urgent, centred around a pulsing, elevated chorus. It’s a stellar return, and we look forward to seeing what comes next.
On the track, they say: “It’s about knowing someone isn’t good for you but still caring deeply about them and accepting that both of those things can exist at the same time As much as you might want to just move on from them, that’s not something you can control sometimes so just allow yourself to go through all of the emotions, keep your pals close and you’ll be good, we promise.”
Lucia & The Best Boys ‘Better For Worse’
Lucia & The Best Boys share their second album ‘Picking Petals’ on 31st July, and they’re giving us one final preview in ‘Better For Worse’. Produced by Yves Rotham in Glasgow’s Castle Doom Studios, the new record features some of her most honest and vulnerable material to date – and this latest track encapsulates this perfectly. ‘Better For Worse’ feels almost cinematic in its soaring, anthemic instrumental, as she balances introspection with a sense of hope and emotional catharsis. Unfolding into a surging, buoyant chorus, her voice carries the emotional weight of the track beautifully. The album is out 31st July and she headlines Barrowlands on 23rd October as part of a wider UK tour.
Birdvox ‘Almost and Re-dos / Wagtails’
Birdvox are a Scottish folk group made up of multi-tasking musicians and producers Sarah Hayes, Inge Thomson, Jenny Sturgeon and Charlotte Printer. Bringing together their disparate influences to create s sound totally of their own devising, the band’s sound and live show blends Scottish folk influence with innovative arrangements, velvety harmonies and high-energy beats. And with a debut album called ‘Shamming the Drama’ on the way, this new double single reflects their versatility and breadth as musicians. The first seizes your attention with its propulsive rhythms and infectious guitar lines, tackling themes of anxiety and introspection through recurring patterns and circular structures. Weaving complex instrumentation with brilliant vocal harmonies, they transform their vulnerability into something joyous and uplifting. Meanwhile ‘Wagtails’ is a completely different offering, built around field recordings captured in the Cairngorms National Park. Birdsong, layered vocals and carefully placed instrumentation comes together to great effect, creating a dreamy, immersive effect.
Dovetailed ‘Kethers Street’
Dovetailed is a new collaborative project between Glasgow musicians Kim Grant (Raveloe) and Simon Liddell (Olympic Swimmers / Frightened Rabbit). The pair have shared a spell-binding new track called ‘Kethers Street’, featuring drumming and guitar from Jonny Scott (Chvrches) and released as part of Lost Map’s PostMap Clubsubscription service in the month of July. It will also feature on an upcoming EP.
They say about the new track: “After the opening line acknowledges a change and a growth the rest of the track is something like a patchwork of memory, a reflection on what’s been. The ‘it feels purple’ line is actually about when I had to get anaesthesia as a child and I remember it was like all my senses became the colour purple. The song itself is probably our most live-band-sounding song. It was a lot of fun laying the layers of overdriven guitar in the bridge, where myself, Simon and Jonny all had a go at putting down a riff and ended up keeping them all in.”
Luke Marshall Black ‘NO MONSTERS’
Glasgow singer-songwriter Luke Marshall Black has unveiled a deeply personal track called ‘NO MONSTERS’. Emerging from the studio after a purple patch of creativity and catharsis, the singer digs deeper than ever before, facing uncomfortable truths head on and reflecting on difficult familial relationships. It results in some of his most accomplished material to date – particularly ‘NO MONSTERS’, a brooding, cinematic slice of pop music that’s lifted by pounding rhythms and strings. The instrumental reinforces the emotional weight behind the track. See him play Hug and Pint on 31st July.
Westside Cowboy ‘Pin Up Boys’
Westside Cowboy have shared another single from their upcoming debut album. Bearing all the hallmarks of their sound, it captures that quiet-loud dynamic the band do so well, gradually building in tension as it progresses – opening quietly before unfurling into something heavier and grittier. With a euphoric, singalong chorus in the middle, it’s raw, unpolished and assured.
They say: “Pin Up Boys’ was written a year and a half ago using an acoustic guitar, a drum machine sample pad and some screwdrivers as drumsticks. It is by far the longest serving song on the album and the one that we have played the most live, which was a blessing and a curse when we came to record. After realising this song was set in its ways, we thought the recording should be a somewhat faithful version of the live performance. We hope you get something out of it.”
Cusk ‘dooms banjo’
Earlier this year, London’s Cusk shared a much-anticipated debut single ‘Blu tac piano’ to international press acclaim. And now the duo have unveiled its gripping follow-up, the emotive ‘Dooms banjo’. It’s a direct and captivating song that suggests Cusk will continue on the same ascent that ‘Blu tac piano’ has started them on. It also comes with the announcement of their self-titled debut EP so watch this space.
