Scottish New Music Round-up: January 2023

Have you just about pushed aside those bloated Christmas feels? If not, you better act quick as we have plenty of new music to whet your appetite for the start of the new year. But first, there are a few gems we missed last month that are most certainly worthy of your attention. Glaswegian noisemaker YULYSEUS released their sonically explorative, searchingly titled new album In the Dark Palaces of Both Our Hearts. Fellow Glaswegian outfit Dr. Veers also shared their debut album Deep Glue Sea, brimming with gritty guitars and tones reminiscent of The Hives and early 00s alternative rock. 

In the world of EPs, Scottish stalwarts The Twilight Sad released a new live EP featuring four tracks recorded from their European run of live shows while We Were Promised Jetpacks revealed A Complete One-Eighty, a series of reworks from their most recent album Enjoy the View. Alt duo prospects Midnight Ambulance, formed between Paris and North Berwick, unveiled Smoke & Mirrors, an electrically charged debut EP that shows shades of Royal Blood while also harnessing left-turning elements of dance and techno – definitely a duo worth keeping an eye on. Wine Moms also shared Flowerbrains. The Glasgow punks brim with politically charged tunes of anger and angst while showing a softer side on the minimal acoustic track Bollo. It won’t be long before they’re making their case as one of the frontrunners in the west coast’s burgeoning DIY punk scene. Elsewhere, Dundee's Theo Bleak shared the beautifully sculpted For Seasons, and archie also revealed Our Little Secret EP. 

A plethora of scintillating singles were also released last month. Alt-folk artist Jodie Elizabeth King released her tender debut single Flesh and Bone, Bemz & Sean Focus combined superbly on new club-ready track Raging Bull, while Tayside’s Gossiper shared not one, but two singles titled Army Knife and Maude respectively. Rosie H Sullivan lit up our ears with Lights, Lewis Capaldi shared Pointless, Subject 13 & Conscious Route smothered our ears with Dripping Sauce, new wave legends Altered Images showcased their new single The Other Side and Carla J Easton delighted our musical tastebuds with Cherry Tree Out Front.

Some Scottish albums grabbing the spotlight this month include Joesef’s glorious debut Permanent Damage (13 Jan) and James Yorkston’s The Great White Sea Eagle (13 Jan). Full insights of these records can be found in the January issue. But here, we focus our attention on other new releases that are simply sumptuous. WAVES, the debut album from CLR theory, is one of them. 

Released on 20 January, this self-recorded, self-produced body of work was born in a flat in Glasgow’s Southside and nurtured by Gill Higgins and Hannah Jarrett-Scott. From the bothy ballad imbued a cappella opener I’d Love You for Less to the Celtic infused Breathe, this is an album with Scottish roots at its heart. The duo’s harmonies shine brightest; intertwining beautifully with plenty of reverb that heightens the atmospheric feel of both voices. CLR theory say that the initial idea for the album started as voicenote gifts to one another during lockdown. But now, they’ve transformed it into a gift for everyone, creating a warm sonic hug of an album that would perfectly soundtrack an evening by the fire with the chill of winter howling and wailing outside.

L.T. Leif. Photo: Craig M Stewart

L.T. Leif releases their new album Come Back To Me, But Lightly on 23 January via Lost Map Records in collaboration with OK Pal Records. The Glasgow-based Canadian singer-songwriter creates sounds that are indebted to the woody, piney wilderness of their home country as well as the landscapes of Iceland and Finland where they've previously lived. The recording of their latest body of work shares a similarly intercontinental makeup with contributors based across the globe. Right from the offset (quite literally with the opening B major chord of Gentle Moon) it’s hard not to feel a smile etch upon your face. It’s a remarkably intimate album considering its spatial genesis, with Leif’s lyrical openness and vulnerability coming to the fore in fine style. Varying sonic textures from guitars to quirky rattles of pots and pans evoke images of late-night campfires and Leif succeeds in delivering what will surely be one of the highlights of their experienced musical career.

That’s not all the new music worth stocking up on for January just yet. Eat the Friek share new music with the release of their double A-side single Drinks Cabinet / Arrow. Evoking a cool garage-psych feel alongside stabs of angular rhythms and hints of Black Country, New Road art-jazz tones, this outfit sound like they’d be a hoot at a live show. However, on top of all that, one single you simply cannot go without listening to this month is the debut release from Carsick Charlie titled Finn. The acoustic guitar melodies underpinning the song are sublime, but the delicate vocals, mature lyrics and heart-tugging string parts sat atop them are sensational. It seems unjust to place artists like Phoebe Bridgers alongside this artist after just one single, but there’s no doubt there’s definitely a hint of sparkle about Carsick Charlie that’s bound to shine in the year ahead.