Scotstown Dance Band ‘Last Drink’

We’ve been huge fans of Scotstown Dance Band since they dropped their debut single ’Shawfield Greyhound Stadium’ last year, and they’ve now shared their first EP ‘post-Ceilidh’. Containing the first four singles released by the group so far, as well as one final new track called ‘Last Drink’, it’s a stellar debut – one that’s rooted in the Highland sounds of their youth, having grown up in Sunart, west Lochaber. Marrying rich storytelling, indie edge and traditional ceilidh-inspired influences, it makes for a warm, nostalgic and infectious listen. New song ‘Last Drink’ encapsulates everything we love about them – it’s an  upbeat parody of a typical west coast drinking song with a jig-time accordion melody and singalong choruses. Underneath though lies a cynicism rarely found in the genre, as the narrator bemoans his poor send-off.

Humour ‘In The Paddies’

Glasgow’s Humour have shared the latest single from their much-anticipated debut album, “Learning Greek”, out August 8th on So Young Records, the dynamic, surrealist anthem, “In The Paddies”. Shrouded in that familiar sense of brooding unease and controlled chaos, the new track exemplifies the band’s versatility – taking their quiet-loud dynamic to a whole new level. Exploring the narrative of various dead characters reflecting on their past lives, it’s a track that packs full of punch, with a typically magnetic performance from frontman Andreas Christoloudis.

He said: “In the Paddies is from the point of view of a character who summons various members of the dead throughout history to rise in a muddy field and asks them what it would take to allow their souls to rest peacefully.”

Katie Gregson-MacLeod ‘Love Me Too Well, I’ll Retire Early’

‘Love Me Too Well, I’ll Retire Early’ is the new EP from Katie Gregson-MacLeod, out now via Matt Maltese’s label Last Recordings On Earth. The five-track collection of love songs comes after a period creative stagnation that came from her time at Columbia and the subsequent split from the label – she says it’s ‘the perfect re-entry and sonically a chance to experiment with the world that I wanted to work within’. Reclaiming her creativity, it’s a gorgeous, heartfelt quintet of songs that finds strength in moments of quiet intimacy, describing the quiet moments of contentment Katie found herself in while falling in love during a period of personal chaos and upheaval.

Stripping everything back, the EP was recorded at Edwyn Collins’ studio in Helmsdale and produced alongside Katie’s friend Josh Scarbrow. She added: ‘It’s a project that celebrates smallness, as that was how I could best understand love and music at the time’

YES AND MAYBE ‘Bloody Madness’

Glasgow/French duo YES AND MAYBE have followed up their debut ‘God Isn’t Real’ with infectious new indie banger ‘Bloody Madness’. A track that sticks a finger up to complacency, the cost of living and the modern state of living, it comes packed with sharp melodies, crunching guitars and distorted Julian Casablancas-esque vocals. Described as one the most high-energy live tracks, the band channel early noughties scuzzy indie rock with shades of MGMT, The Strokes and Franz Ferdinand. Their eagerly anticipated debut album is expected later this year – watch this space.

Connor McGlave ‘Flowers’

Following the raw introspection of his May single “Better Man’ Scottish singer and songwriter Connor McGlave returns with “Flowers”, a beautifully vulnerable track about the quiet ache of letting someone down, even when they only want the best for you. It marks the second offering from his upcoming EP, and showcases a softer but equally stirring side to his songwriting.

Built around McGlave’s signature blend of unfiltered lyricism, emotive delivery, and soaring melodies, “Flowers” explores the emotional toll of breaking your own promises. It’s a song about love, regret, and the quiet fear of not being enough for someone who sees the best in you, especially when you can’t see it yourself.

Speaking about the single, Connor explains: “‘Flowers’ is about the frustration of breaking your own promises. It’s about being with someone who sees your true qualities even when you can’t and wants the best for you. But deep down, there’s that fear they might not stick around forever if you keep slipping.”

The Noise Club ‘Red Cat Book Shop’

Hailing from Paisley and across Glasgow, The Noise Club are known for their tense, genre-bending sounds – bringing their disparate influences together to create a dynamic sound that shifts from dark and foreboding post punk to electrifying, punchy rock and roll. Their latest EP ‘Red Cat Book Shop’ demonstrates their versatility perfectly. Named after the record shop owned by band member Dan’s dad, they say the shop ‘embodies the spirit of the EP, 5 songs that span the chasm of “guitar music” that feel like digging through the crates in a dusty shop in Glasgow as the best song you’ve ever heard plays through a bookshelf speaker’. Featuring contributions from Drab, aka poet and TTV’s former writer Rab Blair on the foreboding opening track ‘The Fixer’, it’s a gripping listen, rich with experimentation and sonic evolution, twisting and turning, never still – plunging you in the darkness before pulling you out again in moments of pure catharsis.

For Those I Love ‘No Scheme’

For Those I Love, the brainchild of Dublin producer, visual artist and songwriter David Balfe, has announced the release of their second album ‘Carving The Stone’ on August 8th via September Recordings.

He’s also shared a single from the record called ‘No Scheme’, a sequel of sorts to a highlight from the debut album, ‘Top Scheme’. While that predecessor explored the intoxicating thrill of violence, this new song contrasts the aliveness, hedonism and self-destructiveness of his teenage years to the numbness of adult working life (‘We’ve all got real jobs and we’re bored’). Torn between a desire for stability and an undeniable lust for danger, he explores the mundanity of your early thirties when you’ve sold your soul in typically direct fashion – full of that original fire.

He said: “No Scheme is the spiritual successor to Top Scheme, the only track on the new album with a direct link to the old. Anchored by the same chaos as Top Scheme, No Scheme trades some of its anger for despondency, it’s rage for reflection, while never fully leaving that original fire behind. Like much of the album it comes from, whenever it points the finger outwardly, it points it back inwardly too. Hypocrisy, complacency, and culpability are all present, but so too is a search for justice or meaning in an increasingly confusing time. A great deal has changed since I wrote it, but I feel as committed as ever to sharing it with you all.”