Scottish New Music Round-up: April 2023

March brought a run of releases that we didn't find out about in time for last month’s round-up: the chic New Hair New Me by Eyes of Others is worth taking a look at; The Big Day dropped Bad Things, which was all very good; we rediscovered Nani’s low-fi heights in Search Bar, and we were delighted by acoustic anthems, such as Birthright by Finn Brodie and Talk & Talk by The Romantidote. There were also great new noises from several artists we've covered in the past, including Billy Got Waves, Fourth Daughter, MALKA, Iona Zajac, Health and Beauty, and DAHLIA as well as a trio of artists playing our stage at Kelburn this summer: comfort, Psweatpants and KLEO.

As for April? Well, this time last year our spotlight was on Brooke Combe, who had secured her up-and-coming status through singles alone, all before her festival run saw her light up every corner of the country, and, most recently, SXSW 2023. Now, she gives us Black Is the New Gold (21 Apr), a mixtape jewelled with the best picks of the artist’s discography so far, as well as some unreleased delights.

Are You With Me? kicks off the record, reintroducing Combe to loyal fans while converting newcomers to her distinct style. Talkin' Bout Heartaches marries a busy band – piano, percussion, guitar – to the young singer’s talents. Black Is the New Gold is as rich as it sounds, with Combe’s precocious writings on race and identity bolstered by bluesy bass and illuminated with backing vocals. By the time you hear the lustre in her voice on Why’d You Say You Love Me?, you’ll be keen to get your hands on a ticket for this summer’s TRNSMT festival to see Edinburgh’s preeminent soul singer.

We heart Hairband and since their Valentine’s Day single Unconscious Rivals, we’ve been gearing up for full album Under the Plow (21 Apr) to showcase the five-piece’s full complexity and character. The technical competency is most evident via the trio of guitars, but their intricate, jazzy harmonies are layered with shared vocal parts for a cool, conversational feel. The quintet come from other projects (Spinning Coin, Breakfast Muff, The Yawns, to name a few), giving their expertise a diverse background. Members hail from Glasgow, Dundee, Toronto, and since Rachel Taylor relocated to Berlin, the underground supergroup are officially long-distance. Hairband’s multi-city nature is expanded upon in Paris and How Far, but the brilliant, lively sound throughout could only be the product of a truly cosmopolitan collective.

April showers got you down? Black Bay by Silver Moth (21 Apr) catches that bleak feeling, but builds into something quite beautiful. The noise-rock seven-piece features Elisabeth Elektra and Mogwai's Stuart Braithwaite, and like the band’s namesake, their sound is nocturnal, fleeting through the dark in search of light. Gaelic Psalms is an otherworldly soliloquy on kelpies and mystics, whereas Hello Doom is a 15-minute monolith, with distorted guitars and primal drumbeats gathering in a moving mass. Perfect listening for springtime rejuvenation.

Enchantments keep coming, with Katherine, the debut album by Glasgow-born Neev, arriving on the 28th. It's crushingly soothing, like her 2021 EP Currants, but includes livelier compositions without sacrificing any intimacy. A pastoral first-half takes you down a garden path, before a spoken word intertitle, You Shouldn’t Hate Your Teeth, navigates listeners to Built Your Body, an affectionate anthem of body positivity, highlighting the record’s ambitious topic of identity. Neev advances in songwriting without abandoning her bedroom-indie background – an electric guitar even joins the crescendo of Green, without overpowering her unplugged vibe.

On the same day, Glasgow duo Casual Worker deliver sophomore EP Model Number. Modular synthesisers, moody basslines, and the rich vocals of Eve King all contribute to the coldwave climate of this record. The triptych of tracks is effortlessly 80s, even damning a coming dystopia of cyber-mondays, one where you are 'destined to be digital'. Casual Worker are joining us at Kelburn Garden Party 2023, so give Model Number a listen to prepare for a mesmerising set.

There’s still tons to come this month – metal trio healthyliving drop Songs of Abundance, Psalms of Grief (7 Apr). Its members bring their influences from previous ventures, including Ashenspire and Falloch, resulting in a full-blooded debut album, providing speed and power to its observations of everyday life. Post Coal Prom Queen release Music For First Contact (28 Apr), enlisting an array of classical sounds, including an operatic soprano, to punctuate their pontifications on extraterrestrial life (Look for a full review in our music section).

Experimental instrumentalists The Ligeti Quartet collaborate with our own Anna Meredith, reconstructing her iconic compositions in their unique, frenetic playstyle. Nuc arrives on 14 April, challenging any old-school misgivings you might have about how stuffy strings can be, as it sits somewhere between avant-garde disco and ambient mania. Man Up by Big Girl’s Blouse is a DIY, alt-rock EP out 7 April, with charming chants and punky riffs aplenty. The latest EP from Bemz, Nova's Dad releases on 5 April, and other shorter bites include Rat King by TEOSE (14 Apr), Lungs by Cortnë (14 Apr), Laces by The Kidney Flowers (14 Apr) and Before by Swiss Portrait (19 Apr).