The Zebecks ‘Medicate’
The Zebecks explore themes of misogyny, men’s mental health, substance abuse and sexuality in their reflective new single, ‘Medicate’. Being only their third single, an aura of maturity is already established from the Elgin-formed quartet, with a sound that encapsulates the sing-along choruses and guitar licks favoured from the 2000s UK indie scene blended with their own twist of regional dialect.
On the new single, The Zebecks comment, “…this release derives from a personal place and explores the darker, more mature
expression of this sound. We maintained a desire to portray Scottish culture candidly and our influence was drawn from artists such as Declan Welsh and the Decadent West, We Were Promised Jetpacks, and Glasvegas.”
Junk Pups ‘Trophy Wife’
With each single to date, Junk Pups have shown a huge range of influences – crafting a sound that is camp and retro as it is refreshingly unique and modern. New single ‘Trophy Wife’ amps up the eccentricity another level – from the rolling, marching snares to the charismatic vocal. Pulling in Scottish heavyweights Walt Disco to bring the whole thing to life, there’s still a charming simplicity about it, carried by that memorable chorus hook.
Martha May & The Mondays ‘SPIT!’
One thing that can be said about Martha May & The Mondays is that they don’t stick to the confines of genre – they’re always shifting, always pushing the boundaries of their sound and broaching new territory. On ‘SPIT!’, they change things up again – shifting from dark, brooding verses into explosive punk choruses with raging vocals.
BIG SPECIAL ‘DUST OFF / START AGAIN’
Big Special have announced their highly-anticipated debut album Postindustrial Hometown Blues due for release on the 10th of May via SO Recordings, plus their first single of the year. It’s a gripping listen – their truth-spilling vocals delivered over a cinematic instrumental with heavy percussion and industrial noises. They say: “‘Dust Off / Start Again’ is a bolt of cursed vomit, spewed into a stewpot of English class issues regarding housing, ownership, mental illness, appropriation and human rights. It’s about the disregard for the common man. And how it is expected of anyone, regardless of their situation, to carry on, struggle through and go to work. It’s about how the privileged and powerful attempt to define, debate and justify the social positions of all whilst the ideals of our governing systems are pressed upon the working-class youth, so that they quietly accept their role as a commodity and place blame on each other, as they wave the flag that keeps them down.”
Little Simz ‘Mood Swings’
Little Simz has shared a new seven-track EP called ‘Drop 7’, the seventh instalment of a series that has been running for nearly a decade. The EP sees her push the boundaries of her sound once again, Simz weaves her introspective lyrics with some of the most experimental and club-oriented beats we’ve heard thus far, courtesy of producer Jakwob.
