AS we head into one of the brightest weekends of the year so far, get acquainted with some fine emerging artists from around Scotland and beyond. This week we have Home$lice, Scarlett Randle, Cheap Teeth, Vistas, Man Of Moon, Carla J Easton and more.

Home$lice ‘Let Me Know’

Nearly two years on from the release of their debut album ‘Howdy’, Home$lice are back and pushing the parameters of their effervescent indie sound into exciting new territories. Recorded with Peter Fletcher (Kagoule, Childhood, Flamingods) in Black Bay Studio in Stornaway, new single ‘Let Me Know’ sees them beef up their lo-fi sound and add greater nuance to their songwriting with the introduction of shared lead vocals and vibrant synth lines. Alex Porteous and Josh McDowell share the lead, their vocals intertwining as they both lament the departure of a familiar presence, as if the pair are inextricably linked by a shared sense of loss. Delivering their soft vocals against a backdrop of plaintive guitars and keyboards, drummer Josh Cardle maintains the rhythm throughout, driving them to the precipice as their emotions heighten before pulling them back in again. A striking return from the outfit, ‘Let Me Know’ feels like big leap forward for Home$lice.

Scarlett Randle ‘Blue’ 

Scarlett Randle has made a stunning return with the release of her new single ‘Blue’. Marking the first time that the singer has ventured into co-production, Scarlett teams up with long-term collaborator BOBBIE on the track with the producer’s electronic influence elevating her dreamy pop style. Opening up a world of inviting atmospherics and delicately rendered instrumentation, Scarlett explores matters of the heart against a foundation of icy electronica with sweeping eighties synths and gentle percussive beats complementing the smoothness of her vocal tone. Beautifully crafted and deeply moving from start to finish, it’s a gorgeous addition to her increasingly impressive catalogue.

Vistas ‘Everything Changes In The End’ 

Those who have been following Edinburgh trio Vistas for the last few years will know they have developed a remarkable knack for churning out banger after banger without so much as taking a break in-between. The fact that the band’s long-awaited debut album arrives today to coincide with one of the sunniest weekends of the year is serendipitous to say the least. ‘Everything Changes In The End ‘ is an album that evokes youthful nostalgia, carefree days in the park with friends and summers spent in festival fields singing along to your favourite tunes. Featuring previously heard tracks like ‘Tigerblood’, ’15 Years’ and ‘Summer’ alongside old favourite ‘Retrospect’, still every bit as addictive as it was in 2017, the band don’t hold back on the massive hooks and endorphin rushes, zipping through the 13 tracks at a relentless pace. Brimming with festival anthems aplenty and many tracks that yearn to be heard live, Vistas provide us with kind of joyful escapism we all need at the moment. Get your weekend started in the right way and tune in below.

Carla J Easton ‘Get Lost’ 

Carla J Easton received widespread critical acclaim for her 2018 solo debut ‘Impossible Stuff’, an album which knitted together a tapestry of different sounds from 60s doo-wop to yearning electro-pop to provide an enchanting, dream-like dose of escapism. Nearly two years on from its release, the prolific singer-songwriter is back with a brand new offering called ‘Get Lost’ and it marks a refreshing change in direction. Written alongside long-term collaborator Scott Paterson in CHVRCHES’ old basement studio, the influence of the Glasgow trio looms large with its big eighties-indebted synths and vibrant melodic hooks as the singer effortlessly captures the buzz you get in the early days of romance. Led by Easton’s distinctively expressive voice, it’s a euphoric ode to escaping the pressures and anxieties of adulthood.

“It was one of the first songs I co-wrote with Scott in CHVRCHES old basement studio,” says Easton. “I took in my beat up Casio MT 45 and Scott quickly stuck it through some tape loop and echo reverbs over some electronic beats. Everything came quickly after conversations about the first time you go away with someone you are beginning a new relationship with. All we needed was a handful of chords and my lyric notebook that was bursting with ideas about hiring cars and driving to the coast.”

MEMES ‘Cheer Up’

MEMES first release of 2020 is the thunderous ‘Cheer Up’, the lockdown anthem you didn’t know you needed until right now.“Cheer Up is about cancelled gigs, environmental catastrophe and the importance of staying in to watch TV. It’s about heads of states and states of hands. It’s about lifting the gloom in an atmosphere of doom” claim the Glasgow based duo and it does exactly that. The final minute of the track is a call for various world leaders to take note of the song title and “cheer up” with Donald Trump and Boris Johnson both name checked , they might be a wee bit tied up to give it a listen though.

Cheap Teeth ‘Give Me More, Show Me Less’ 

After teasing us with ‘The Wind and The Rain’ and ‘Belly Of The Beast’ earlier this year, Cheap Teeth have invited us further into their dark, relentlessly grisly world with the release of their debut EP. Continuing to carve out a distinctive niche for themselves over a hotbed of eighties-indebted post-punk, the EP is like a series of compelling vignettes told by a variation of madcap characters – all ominous, theatrical vocals, seething basslines and jittery guitar parts that often take us down dark and unpredictable routes. Full of tension and a bristling sense of unease that builds and recedes throughout, Cheap Teeth continue to surprise and excite with every listen.

Lead singer Joe Laycock said: “The EP is a reflection of our strange encounters with people as a band, and a celebration of these experiences.”

“It’s been our first time working with producer Chris McCrory [Catholic Action, Savage Mansion, Walt Disco] at Glasgow’s infamous Chem 19 studios – and it was great to work in the same place that a load of great Scottish acts have recorded, such as Mogwai, Arab Strap and many more. The aim was step away from our previous lo-fi approach to production and  bring through as much of our live presence as possible – I’m chuffed to bits with how it turned out.”

Man Of Moon ‘Chemicals: The Remixes’

Since the beginning of lockdown, Man Of Moon have been drip-feeding us one new track a week via their ‘Chemicals: The Remixes’ project. Now the full collection has been given a full digital release, available to hear on all major streaming platforms and to purchase over on Bandcamp. Featuring eight brand new mixes of ‘Ride The Waves’ and ‘Skin’, both taken from last year’s ‘Chemicals’ EP, the project has seen them team up with a variety of artists from within the Scottish music scene – The Ninth Wave, Edwin Organ, Amber Leith, BETA WAVES, Zoe Graham and Django Django have all offered their own take on the Edinburgh duo’s pulsating brand of post-punk. From the industrial XTRMNTR vibes of Amber Leith’s ‘Skin’ to Edwin Organ’s vibrant idiosyncratic version of the same track to Django Django’s dark beat remix of ‘Ride The Waves’ and the band’s own revised versions, it’s a compelling listen from start to finish.

PLASMAS ‘Look & See’

TTV were delighted to premiere the new single from Dundee indie dream-pop outfit PLASMAS this week. The first tune of 2020 from the quintet sees them working with Guy Galactic (formerly of Model Aeroplanes), a prolific producer who has also worked alongside other Dundee artists BETA WAVES, st martiins and Billy Mitchell, and on this release helps PLASMAS take the intense atmosphere of their live shows to record for the first time.

Leaning more towards the darker side of indie-pop on this tune, PLASMAS blend elements of 90s shoegaze and the pop songwriting of Teenage Fanclub with a bleaker sound and more intricate synth and guitar lines not dissimilar to The Cure and Bauhaus’ ‘In The Flat Field’. The dreamy-like space in this tune is perfectly filled with repeated cries of ‘only when the sun is shining through you’, taking the starry-eyed lovingness of simple pop music and sending it on an invigorating sonic journey.

Steven Young ‘Regalia’

After making his solo debut earlier this year with the release of ‘Island’, Steven Young is back with an emphatic new offering called ‘Regalia’. Merging the strident, baroque pop sound that inspired The Last Shadow Puppets’ debut album with the theatrical, storytelling impulse of Scott Walker, the track lives up to its regal title with an onslaught of galloping drums and opulent strings. Built around the story of a main protagonist and his romantic dilemma, you can almost imagine the curtains unfurling at the beginning of a James Bond film. Another triumph from the hugely talented singer-songwriter.

DENI ‘Miles (WSHOM’s Breathing Space remix)

Remix projects have been coming in thick and fast over lockdown and one that has certainly piqued our interest is this expansive take on ‘Miles’ by Glasgow indie-pop band DENI. Among the most highly regarded DJs in Scotland, Subclub residents WSHOM transform the track into a majestic slice of electronica with 90s warehouse and trance-like textures, leaning heavily on Deni Smith’s lead vocal with big emotional swells and beautiful meditative moments. Borne out of this period of isolation and self-reflection, Oliver Melling says “It’s not difficult to understand the headspace in which this remix was written. Isolation, concerns about physical and mental wellbeing, constant examples of failures of governance and thousands of unnecessary deaths. We’re glad our breathing space remix provides a brief escape”

Celeste ‘I Can See The Change’

Celeste has teamed up with Billie Eilish’s brother and collaborator FINNEAS on her new track ‘I Can See The Change’. A stunning piece of self-reflection, Celeste delivers her lyrics with a stirring mix of trepidation and hope – the piano-led arrangement gradually joined by subtle orchestral elements.

“It was a strange time for me as externally lots of exciting things were happening in my life, but internally I was feeling flat.” Celeste said. “I felt disconnected from myself and the world around me so I knew something needed to change … It’s difficult for me to fully articulate, but when I started writing the song I pictured a blurry, unidentified image far off in the distance that I knew I had to move closer to in order to understand what it was and perhaps what it meant, but also realising that the journey wasn’t going to be easy.

“Ultimately the song is about hope and change but knowing that to obtain this requires effort, patience and conviction.”

The Lemon Twigs ‘Moon’ 

With a catalogue that has mined from nearly every era of rock music, The Lemon Twigs have returned with a surging piece of power pop called ‘Moon’. Channelling the ambitious songwriting of Bruce Springsteen and even Billy Joel, the track soars with retro goodness – rising high with galloping drums, saxophone and even a rapturous harmonica solo. A track made for their exhilarating live show, it will feature on their new album ‘Songs For The General Public’ which arrives on 21st August.

Cigarettes After Sex ‘You’re All I Want’

Cigarettes After Sex returned this week with their first piece of new music since last year’s ‘Cry’ album. Continuing in the same vein as that record, ‘You’re All I Want’ is the kind of dreamy, ambient expression of love and lust we’ve come to expect from the band. Rooted in Greg Gonzelez’ daydreams about the beginnings of a passionate love affair already developed, it’s enveloped in smoky atmospherics and dreamy romance.

Courtney Marie Andrews ‘It Must Be Someone Else’s Fault’ 

Preparing for the release of her second album ‘Old Flowers’ out on 24th July, Courtney Marie Andrews has shared a tender new cut called ‘It Must Be Someone Else’s Fault’. Said to mirror the cathartic and minimalist nature of the album, the track is a rueful glance at what could have been as she reflects on a past relationship over delicately picked guitar notes and rolling rhythms. Led by her distinctive voice, full of warmth and feeling, there’s a certain kind of comfort in Andrews’ exquisite mix of country and Americana.

Bo Ningen + Bobby Gillespie ‘Minimal’ 

Japanese four piece Bo Ningen have recruited none other than Primal Scream frontman Bobby Gillespie for guest vocals on the latest track to be taken from upcoming album ‘Sudden Fictions’. The two join forces for ‘Minimal’ a uplifting, bi lingual slice of psych . “Minimal is the first-ever ‘properly produced’ track—as well as the most catchy song—in Bo Ningen’s thirteen year history” says bassist and vocalist, Taigen Kawabe. and he’s not wrong, Gillespie’s signature vocals are the perfect addition over the synth laden track.