> EP Review: AWOL – Sarah Gallagher - SNACK: Music, film, arts and culture magazine for Scotland

EP Review: AWOL – Sarah Gallagher

A clattering, rattling roll of country-tinged indie skiffle from the Edinburgh open mic scene favourite, one which takes on kitchen-sink songwriting with crafty attention to detail. The insistent Tinder demands and melodramatic Lotharios that come with dating in the internet age butt up against patronising indie boys with warm pints and unread poetry books. It’s got a bit of the early days of MySpace about it; the barely contained chaotic shambles of those first Arctic Monkeys or Mystery Jets albums, punky energy on acoustic guitars and a cheeky nod to the gallery.

There are some interesting little kernels; a bit of dissection of performative masculinity on ‘Tinder’, something about the gulf between social media image and reality as a theme that comes back later on ‘Brown Wine’, with its phenomenally acerbic coda. Some excellent fiddle playing and a scrappy DIY attitude pull the rest along on sheer charm and force of will.


AWOL is out now

You May Also Like

New Scottish Music Podcast: Everybody Wants to Play the Hits, Episode 19 – Marvelous

Everybody Wants to Play the Hits is the new Scottish music review podcast, brought ...

Scottish Alternative Music Awards (SAMA) 2020 Winners

The Scottish Alternative Music Awards (SAMA) have announced the winners of this year’s awards celebrating the ...

Interview: Pitch Scotland

The inaugural Pitch conference comes to Glasgow this year, an event for hip-hop and ...