It’s beginning to look a lot like Easter, whatever that means to you: perhaps it involves making happy memories for the kids, battling hayfever, or fighting the eternal war against overpriced chocolate. We’re not the Easter Bunny, but we do love to rabbit on about new Scottish music, so let’s get April’s Bits hopping.
‘Are You Really Listening To Music?’ No, that’s not us being snobby about your playlists; it’s the question asked by The Burgers on their snottish, punk-pop new single. Sure, you’d have found songs like this on compilations 40 years ago, but it’s fun, and that’s never off the menu.
Sticking with pop-punk (and a side of food puns), Glasgow’s Roger Bacon debuts with ‘Shank’. Rather than culinary violence, it delivers clanging riffs, slices of restrained menace, and vocals sharp enough to leave a mark.
We last saw Gallus in December when lead singer Barry Dolan barged past us, singing, during Dead Pony’s encore at the QMU: no mean feat from our balcony spot. They’re back, heading to Òran Mór later this month and armed with their new EP, Cool To Drive. The title track is already a live favourite, while rapid-fire lyrics and nagging guitar lines make ‘Just Desserts’ a chorus you’ll crave repeatedly.
Sharing that QMU bill and also back with new tunes this month are SOAPBOX. Their new single ‘Do As Ur Told’ is excitingly brutal and confirms their upcoming gig at The Garage will feature moshing, stage-dives, and chaos, the kind we all love.
Bringing a different kind of energy are The Twistettes, who deliver joyous melodic chaos on ‘All I Want’. It’s punchy, punky, and thoroughly addictive, with a new album, Red Door Open, due out in early May. Get acquainted with this sleek, breezy pop-blast now.
Meanwhile, Feyvo x Katherine Aly’s ‘Like Me’ pairs infectious rhythms and hot verses with cool choruses, and a few choice swear words to spice things up. If that’s fired you up, ‘Easy Feeling’ by The Joshua Hotel is a lush synth-driven antidote, male-female vocal interplay smoothing out all your edges.
Yes, we’ve noticed this month’s leaning heavily on guitars, and that’s all right, but we’re glad there’s something here to shift the mood. Accident Machine and Natasha Kitty Katt’s ‘Circus Deep’ is exactly what you need to step into your day with purpose. Spacious, dub-friendly, and effortlessly remixable, it’s a fine soundtrack to passing your day.
Becci Wallace is back with a disarmingly emotional album, After the Fog… Air, produced by Scottish hip-hop mainstay Steg G. Lyrically, it’s heavy on the personal and deals with care, reflection, shame, and resilience. There’s shades of their shared hip-hop roots but it’s emo-soul at its core.
Sacred Paws’ return, Jump Into Life, will rightly be getting mained in all good kitchens and living rooms around the country for the foreseeable (roll back the carpets). After a five-year gap since the brilliant Run Around The Sun, it’s still unmistakably them, just more. The rhythms are distinctive and intricate, melodies hopeful but wistful – a time-soaked renewal rather than a reflection of their previous work.
Finally, Cloth’s upcoming album lands at the end of April, and judging by the recent single ‘Stuck’, it’ll be one to cherish. Whispery vocals wrapped warmly around dreamy instrumentation; more of this, please.
That’s your April music fix sorted. With plenty of gigs happening this month, get out there, have fun, and stay alert for your next musical crush.
