SNACK Bits (Summer 2026) Scotland’s Essential New Music Guide

Summertime, and the living is . . . well, it’s not easy, is it? Let’s not dwell on that, though. It’s World Cup summer, festival summer, and while I’m not 100 percent sure if it’s still Brat Summer, this is your Bits summer column.

What’s the sound of summer? Going by this month’s reviews, it’s guitar.

Plasticine serve up another blend of anthemic and ethereal with ‘Falling’. Coming from a band with lofty ambitions, the song breaks out of the ballad mould with a few big reaches and guitar lines that would grace any classic rock band going serious. When this band builds momentum with a few back-to-back releases, there’s every chance they’ll take off.

Even though they released music last September, it felt as though Fright Years had been quiet for some time. That owes a lot to the fact they released consistently likeable singles, but the good news is, the minor gap hasn’t diminished them. ‘Never Been Wrong’ is pretty damn good.

We’re blessed with so many local bands making ambitious, fully-formed and anthemic music, and this would slip onto any guitar-friendly radio playlist with ease. Great to have them back.

Let’s round out this section of big guitars and female voices ringing into the night with something (relatively) new: Ellijai. We covered her last issue, so we’re delighted she’s back with ‘Smoke Away’.

It’s slightly bratty with a bite, but there’s great swagger and a chorus that would be as home in your favourite indie disco as it would in a pivotal scene in a teen rom-com. This batch suggests good poppy guitar music with a punch is still being made in Scotland. Ideal for summer.

‘Cinnamon Skies’ by Ellyn Oliver is similar to the last bunch of songs, adjacent, if you will, but slower, more mature. Folkier, but no less moving, and the shuffling drums sweep you along. Throw in yearning strings and it’s a song to empathise with.

Some modal guitar runs means Limerence are very much on trend for this summer, but this is no flash in the pan. ‘She Bites’ lives up to its title, a gravelly intro giving way to a guitar thrash that will surely kick off a moshpit. The track has a great blend of balance and going all out, giving you a song that does it all and likely leaving you a little bit breathless by the end.

‘Doormat’ by Sha Rivari & the Maybes rattles along in a snotty and spiky manner, easily the sort of thing you’d pogo along to after lunch at an outdoor festival. The riff is fun, it lets you target that bit of anger at anyone who’s done you wrong, and it ensures you get your recommended levels of punk per day.

You might have already heard ‘Marlene’ by Scott C Park, but there’s no apologies about that if that’s the case. Because you’ll already know how sweet it is, and you’ll be happy that others get to hear it too. There’s tinges of American guitar-pop (from Weezer to Nada Surf), clever lines – lyrically and guitar – wrestling with a Scottish tinge to make something familiar but fresh.

The backing vocals on ‘Shanghai’ by Scout Coast also fit that bill. This is frothy and could well be a people pleaser; it has that easygoing, hummable feel to it. Sometimes, all you need is an ice cream. It won’t fill you up, but it refreshes you, taking the load off for a while, and that’s all you need.

If you really need to cool off, you might go ‘Under The Water’, which is the latest single from Velvet. There’s a massive whoo, the guitar line is slightly sneering, and there’s a late 90s glam-stomp feel to large parts. If you can imagine Spacehog meets Geneva, you’d be close . . . while obviously not being exactly right either. Worth checking out to see if it’s your thing.

The drum intro on ‘Sundried’ by Cormac Flynn is the most frenzied sound in this month’s column. Even that chills out before too long – it’s too warm to hurry, much more important things to worry about. This track, drums aside, keeps you on an even keel, a bit fuzzy but catchy, and a good few hooks peppered throughout.

If you’d prefer something that starts gently, but no less melodic, ‘Tony (Come Home)’ by Lyle Busby is what you’re after. It starts easy listening, with a cheeky swing, but it crashes into life, some warm sax smoothing all over your ears. The lyrical theme might be darker than what we’re picking up here, but if you’re planning for the hazy days and long, long nights, it’s perfectly placed to fit right in with your activities.

And whatever those activities are, enjoy them. These could be the best days of our lives. See you when we see you.