Amelia Coburn on new album Myself and Other Monsters, and Celtic Connections 2027 gig

With October being the spookiest month of the year, how could we not speak with Amelia Coburn at this time? The artist’s second album, released in March 2027, is called Myself and Other Monsters, and there’s an Òran Mór gig looming on 28th January, as part of Celtic Connections. The singer-songwriter wears her love of horror and mystery on her sleeve, and we couldn’t wait to hear about her darker side.

SNACK caught up with Amelia to chat studio Scotch eggs, neighbourhood bigots, scary moments and all the emotions!

What’s the most monstrous thing you’ve done in a recording studio?

While we were recording the new album, one of Bill Ryder-Jones’ mates popped into the studio to treat us to a fresh batch of his homemade Scotch eggs. I ate far more than was necessary and, mere minutes later, the error of my ways became apparent to everyone in the room.

On the new record you confront selfishness, jealousy, obsession and resentment. Which was hardest to put in a song?

Probably none of those things, actually. Resentment was easy, if not a pleasure, to write about. Name someone who’s wronged me and I’ll happily write three verses and a chorus calling them all the names under the sun. It’s cathartic! 

But I found the songs about my own insecurities and self-loathing the toughest. I’ve spent years being hypercritical of myself and my body, and writing those feelings down made me realise just how warped my perception of myself had become. I’m still very nervous about performing those songs in front of a live audience. I think that’s partly why I tend to disguise the subject matter of my songs underneath layers of surreal and abstract imagery. That way, people can enjoy the music without always knowing the full meaning behind the lyrics. It’s probably for the best. I want people to buy my records, not refer me to a psychiatrist.

The record’s full of brass and strings, but Glasgow gets you solo, in a church. Which song changes most when it’s just you?

I’d say the orchestral ballads like ‘Heavy the Heart’ or ‘Invisible People’, although most of the album sounds very different once you remove all of Bill’s bells and whistles. Without the string section, I have to trust that the songs can stand on their own two feet, relying on my voice and the lyrics to carry them. 

What’s an album track on the new record, not a single, you can’t wait for people to hear, and why?

It’s called ‘There Goes the Neighbourhood’, and I wrote it with the brilliant Edward Randell. Lyrically, it’s in the same sardonic vein as a Paul Heaton or Morrissey song, written from the perspective of the neighbourhood bigot and full of the petty grievances and misplaced outrage you often find they’ve posted on your local village Facebook page or WhatsApp group. Bill then took it somewhere completely unexpected with this mad carnivalesque arrangement. I absolutely love it, and I think my audience will too.

What was the most frightening thing you did in 2026?

Collaborating with the mighty Paul Weller! I needn’t have been nervous because he’s proper salt of the earth. There isn’t a nicer bloke in the world! Even so, regardless of how kind he was, working with your all-time musical hero was still a terrifying prospect.

Myself and Other Monsters is released 5th March 2027.

Amelia Coburn plays Òran Mór, Glasgow on 28th January, as part of Celtic Connections.

Photos credit: Ellen Dixon