Scottish New Music Round-up: March 2025

As well as missing MY GOD HAS GOT A GUN, the latest LP from Glasgow rock duo VUKOVI released back in January, February saw more gems slip through the cracks. Roller Disco Death Party released The Pink EP – a cocktail of Justice, Confidence Man and LMFAO – while there were singles from artists like Faith Eliott, Katie Gregson-Macleod, Possibly Jamie, Intibint, Pippa Blundell, Goodnight Louisa, Iona Zajac, Buffet Lunch and No Windows.

This month is equally stacked. Due on 21 March, Zoe Graham's debut album TENT (an acronym for either The Eternal Navigation of Truth, or TEN songs about Therapy, depending on how Graham feels in the moment) sees Graham reckoning with herself across ten powerful tracks, sounding at ease, comfortable in her own skin, knowing exactly what she wants to achieve with her music. There’s a lounge-y Fleetwood Mac feel to opener Push and Pull, while others call to mind artists like Sharon Van Etten and St. Vincent; there’s even a little Tubeway Army in the icy synths on Even Though I’m Scared. 

Alongside more muscular singles like Evilin, Good Girl and Happen, it's a privilege to bear witness to the depth of vulnerability on show from Graham on the more ballad-forward cuts I Only Ever Loved Yous and Stranger Care. The overall songwriting talent on show across the entirey of TENT – where choruses never miss, and every synth line, brass flourish, and violin bow is expertly played and perfectly placed – is truly top tier, making for an exceptional and incredibly cohesive body of work.

Earlier in the month, Edinburgh alt-pop trio racecar release Pink Car. Thematically devoted to experiences of adolescence, love, heartbreak and relationships, musically, its 13 tracks play out like a complex Scalextric track, with twists, turns and loop de loops aplenty helping piece together a whole glut of genres. From techno and 90s rave to d’n’b, pop, industrial, nu-metal and more, swathes of instrumentation layered with electronic textures make for an enjoyable, not to mention constantly surprising listening experience.

On 22 March, East Lothian instrumental post-prog outfit Idiogram release Reunion of Broken Parts. Kicking things off with an abrasive, glitchy, chug, when opener Hyperaccumulator gets to the one minute mark, syncopated rhythms open out into something altogether more cinematic and alluring. Deep grainy synths call to mind early Errors, and cascading guitar lines that charge on like a dog trying to chase its own tail, will delight Mogwai fans. It's an excellent introduction to an album that effortlessly and playfully manages to combine post-prog, rock, electronic, ambient and classical to exhilarating effect.

Majesty Palm. Credit: George McFayden

At the end of the month, the worlds of jazz and folk collide on Glasgow-based saxophonist and composer Matt Carmichael’s third album, Dancing With Embers (28 Mar), where spaciousness is just as important as space-filling. A collection of mostly instrumental songs, featuring contributions from Fergus McCreadie, Brìghde Chaimbeul and Rachel Sermanni, among others, the musicianship across this inherently Scottish record is exceptional, with the warmth of the embers of the title felt across its 12 tracks.

On the same day, Glaswegian folk artist Neev releases How Things Tie In Knots. Exploring the idea of “growing through one’s 20s – navigating the tension between who you’ve been and who you’re becoming”, you can feel that push and pull across the album in Neev’s impressively chameleonic vocals alone. It’s a vulnerable, often angsty offering, relatable and comforting in equal measure.

When it comes to EPs, we're most excited about Learning to Swim from Glasgow pair Olivia McCosh and Cameron Robertson, aka Majesty Palm. Due on 7 March, closer The Longer I Hold You is the perfect slice of disco-led pop that sounds genuinely like it could have been written for Dua Lipa; rounding out an entire EP packed full of great pop tunes, we're excited for the future of Majesty Palm. On the same day, also keep a look out for Makalelo from electronic producer Kilimanjaro.

Elsewhere, from a formerly abandoned clifftop hotel on an ex-radar station in the Outer Hebrides, Maps from the City arrives from Andrew Eaton Lewis (3 Mar). On the 7th, choose between the incredibly relentless, psychedelic, wall-of-sound offering from Austin/Glasgow duo SKLOSS as they release The Pattern That Speaks, or get an injection of 00s-indebted indie-pop and rock from Edinburgh outfit Dubinski’s debut album, What Is Your Definition of Happiness?

Edwyn Collins releases his tenth solo record, the thought-provoking Nation Shall Speak Unto Nation (14 Mar), while the following week sees NATI. release her indie-pop/folk EP, Golden (21 Mar). At the end of the month, Sacred Paws release Jump Into Life; read our interview with the pair, and the full album review, in the March issue. On 5 March, expect singles from SHEARS (Bad Dream) and Maya’s Radio Orchestra (Seal Song), while the 6th brings singles from Shinlifter (Percolator/Nandos), Cowboy Hunters (Mating Calls) and Nikhita (Insurance). On 21 March, seek out Like Me, a collab from Feyvo and Katherine Aly.

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