WHILE the country remains in lockdown, one positive that can be taken from the last couple of weeks is the continuous supply of new music from artists around Scotland and further afield. Get your weekend started in the right way with new tunes from Holy Esque, Luna The Professor, Rina Sawayama, Declan McKenna, The Streets and more.
Holy Esque ‘CPH’ EP
Sometimes digging into the past unearths just as much creative inspiration as it would to tear everything up and start again. That’s exactly what Scottish post-punks Holy Esque have done as they unveil a brand new EP today titled CPH – a four-track collection of rarities recorded all the way back in January 2o14 at STC Studios in Copenhagen. Serving as a precursor to the release of their third full-length album in 2021, the collection has been described by singer Pat Hynes as “a place in the past, brought to the present” – a series of tracks that never quite saw the light of the day but are now ready to be celebrated in all their raw, immersive glory. Brimming with the same vitality and searing intensity that first attracted us to Holy Esque, the EP serves as a stark reminder of their staggering ability to conjure such emotional, beautiful and entirely gripping soundscapes. The towering opening track ‘REVERENCE FALLS’ thrashes and squalls, finally getting its chance to shine after many live outings in a moment of sheer euphoria. ‘PERDITION’ is dark, brooding and doom-laden while the raw title track pushes Pat Hynes’ rasping, quivering vocals to new emotional depths, his longing, Glaswegian growl almost indecipherable against melodic synths and chiming guitars. Old favourite ‘Ladybird Love’ is as revisited and is as stirring as ever – seeing the EP out with driving, unrelenting rhythms, heartfelt vocals and a euphoric wall of noise.
Pat Hynes said of the releasE: ‘With the winding, fleeting nature of recording an album, there are often moments that slip by, that never should have been allowed to slip. Music lost in the difficult choices presented in making something real. We are elated to finally release these moments, with all their flaws in place”
Luna The Professor ‘Sing For Your Supper’
Wishaw four-piece Luna The Professor are back with their first song of 2020 ‘Sing For Your Supper’. Inspired by the economic disaster that hit their hometown and the surrounding areas after the closure of the Ravenscraig Steel Works in the early nineties, the band add a socially conscious bite to their indie-rock songbook by paying tribute to the indomitable spirit of their local people. It’s a rousing statement of intent that sees them mature as songwriters and explore new ground both lyrically and sonically – the hard-hitting subject matter is matched by a more widescreen, ambitious rock sound that takes influence from nineties giants like Oasis, Manic Street Preachers and more. With a huge call-to-arms chorus and an electrifying guitar solo, it’s sure to receive a rapturous response when played live.
Girl in Red ‘midnight love
Rising Norwegian singer-songwriter Girl in Red (real name Marie Ulven) enjoyed big success in 2019 with her ‘chapter 2’ EP, featuring massive singles like ‘dead girl in the pool’, ‘bad idea!’ and ‘i’ll die anyway’. Now she’s back to continue her quest for global domination with the release of ‘midnight love’. It’s a far more intimate offering compared to anything we’ve heard before from the singer, pairing her honest lyrics with a poignant, gentle arrangement. Her first song to be written on the piano, it finds her reflecting on a past relationship from the perspective of the other person, examining her own weaknesses and the mistakes she made while still retaining the authenticity of her previous work.
Rina Sawayama ‘SAWAYAMA’
Rina Sawayama was marked out as one to watch with the release of ‘RINA’ back in 2017 but the arrival of her debut album ‘SAWAYAMA’ today establishes her as one of boldest and most unique voices in pop. ‘SAWAYAMA’ is a carefully crafted, complex pop record that takes the musical influences she listened to while growing up in North London in the nineties and early noughties and reformats them through a distinctly modern-day, forward-facing prism. Thrashing nu-metal (‘Dynasty’), earnest pop (‘Bad Friend’) and sleek R&B (‘XS’) all rear their head across the fiercely eclectic record as the singer uses her epic genre-splicing skills to express a vast range of emotions and explore various thematic messages. There are deeply personal moments alongside political ones – she tackles her own teenage rebellion after her parents’ divorce, climate change, capitalism, lost friendships, racism and more in this vibrant and deeply honest self-portrait. Laying waste to all genre constraints, she leaves us with a deeply expansive musical account of her personal history.
DMA’S ‘The Glow’
DMA’S new album ‘The Glow’ is said to mark a shift in approach towards a more guitar-meets-electro sound in the style of latter day New Order, as heard on previous singles ‘Life Is A Game Of Changing’ and ‘Silver’. With the album set to arrive on 10th July, the trio released its anthemic title track this week and while it shows undercurrents of that electronic-influenced sound, it also bears all the hallmarks of their signature indie-rock – full of distorted guitar riffs, upbeat rhythms, Tommy O’Dell’s distinctive euphoric howl and brought to live by a buoyant, anthemic chorus.
Jamie XX ‘idontknow’
Jamie XX unveiled his first solo track in five years this week – a percussive-heavy stomper called ‘idontknow’. Known for his introspective approach, the new track sees him shift up the tempo with an opening percussive flurry that never quite lets up for the duration of the track. Snippets of a hypnotic vocal sample and the sound of alarms circle the propulsive rhythms as he explains ““I made Idontknow as an outlet for my frustration over not being able to finish any music for a while. I tried to be less precious with my ideas and just let go.” Opting for a more raw and direct approach, it gives an instantly infectious hit of irrepressible energy – something that is much needed at the moment.
Car Seat Headrest ‘Hollywood’
Car Set Headrest have teased the release of their new album with the exhilarating ‘Hollywood’ – a song about the place where nothing is quite as it seems. “This song is about Hollywood as a place where people go to make their fantasies come to life, and they end up exploiting other people and doing terrible things to maintain their fantasy,” Toledo says in a press release. Toledo unleashes his fury and disenchantment across a rocking three and a half minutes, his deadpan verses contrasted by the throat-shredding hook. Boasting a heavy groove and some piercing guitar work, it’s a thrilling insight into ‘Making A Door Less Open’ which arrives on 1st May.
The Streets, Tame Impala ‘Call My Phone Thinking I’m Doing Better’
One of the most talked-about tracks of the week was perhaps one of the most unexpected. With a new mixtape set to arrive on 10th July, The Streets unveiled the Tame Impala-assisted ‘Call My Phone Thinking I’m Doing Better’ on Monday night. After reconvening 18 months ago and embarking on two sold-out UK tours, the new mixtape ‘None Of Us Are Getting Out Of This Life Alive’ will be The Streets’ first fully-fledged release since 2011’s ‘Computers and Blues’ and will feature collaborations with IDLES, Jesse James Solomon, Jimothy Lacoste, Dapz On The Map and more.
Declan McKenna ‘The Key To Life On Earth’
After the release of ‘Beautiful Faces’ earlier this year, Declan McKenna is back with another preview of upcoming album ‘Zeroes’. ‘The Key To Life On Earth’ is a reflection on mundanity and hostility – the way in which we interact with one another and our tendency to focus on material trivialities. He once again pairs his socially conscious lyrics with a catchy, rocky chorus, seventies influences and gently psychedelic synths to great effect.
Lola Young ‘None For You’
‘None For You’ is the second single to be lifted from Lola Young’s upcoming EP ‘Renaissance’, slated for release on 28th April via Island Records. Allowing her powerful vocals and starkly honest lyrics to shine over lilting keys and nicely stripped back beats, there’s touches of jazz and early noughties R&B to the divinely soulful arrangement. A song about pain, loss and choosing to love yourself after the end of a relationship, it’s a candid expression of self-acceptance and inner strength that has us eagerly anticipating her new EP.
The Howlers ‘Badlands’
London desert-rockers The Howlers released ‘Badlands’ last week – a scorching, brooding statement of intent about standing strong for what you believe in no matter what the consequences. A track that wouldn’t sound out of place in a Spaghetti Western, all searing guitars, snarling vocals and driving basslines, it has already seized the attention of BBC 6 Music and BBC Radio 1. Effectively capturing the feral intensity of their live shows, the chorus hook has the impact of a euphoric call to arms. The band’s rescheduled tour dates include a date at Glasgow’s Broadcast on 12th September and Edinburgh’s Sneaky Pete’s on 13th November.
Dan Croll ‘Grand Plan’
Dan Croll has announced that his third album ‘Grand Plan’ will be released on 21st August via Communion Records. The singer-songwriter unveiled the thoughtful, delicately picked title track this week – a song that captures the overwhelming feeling of moving to a new city where everyone seems to already have a ‘grand plan’. With its lovely harmonies and gentle melody, there’s still a sunny optimism to it – even though he’s just getting started, it marks the dawn of an exciting new period in his life.
Orlando Weeks ‘Blood Sugar’
Orlando Weeks releases his first solo album ‘A Quickening’ this June. Inspired by the birth of his son and his anticipation for his arrival, ‘Blood Sugar’ is the lead single and it’s a gorgeous lilting number that has a twinkling poignancy to it. Adorned by Weeks’ distinctive vocals, it feels like a nod to his past with The Maccabees and some of their more lullabylic tracks as he comments “It’s a song about a recollection of weary helplessness and the fear that can come with that. Set in the small hours when omens and superstition loom larger than perhaps they should. The music is walking pace, or to be more precise, pacing pace.”
Diet Cig ”Who Are You?’
Diet Cig wrestle with heartbreak and reject self-serving apologies on their latest single ‘Who Are You?’. Alex Luciano, paired with Noah Bowman on drums, leads the fuzzy earworm of a chorus as the band transform their feelings into an upbeat, em0 bop. Luciano said: “I learned that healing doesn’t wait for an ‘I’m sorry’ to appear, and it can feel silly to have one arrive when you’re completely over it. This song takes these bad feelings and turns them into a fun upbeat jam to dance around in your kitchen to.” ‘Who Are You?’ follows previous singles ‘Thriving’ and ‘Night Terrors’, all of which are set to appear on their upcoming album ‘Do You Wonder About Me?’ out on 1st May.
Baby Taylah ‘Home’
Hot on the heels of her recent single ‘Reclaim’, Scottish singer-songwriter Baby Taylah has shared a deeply personal new track called ‘Home’. Written in the wake of her mother’s passing, ‘Home’ is an expression of grief and longing, a song that channels absence and the craving one feels to have someone nearby. A shimmering and sophisticated slice of alt-pop that allows her angelic vocals to shine, it’s a stirring piece that has been accompanied by an equally moving and cinematic visual.
The Novacs ‘Patchin’
With two appearances at Tenement Trail and a string of well-received singles under their belt, Airdrie four-piece The Novacs have shared a brand new single called ‘Patchin’. Recorded with Richard Woodcraft at the Warner Brothers studios in London, the band demonstrate the full extent of their rock ambitions on the new track which recalls the likes of Catfish & the Bottlemen in its soaring, arena-sized choruses, heavily distorted guitar lines and vocal hooks.
