Spotlight On... Doss
Following the release of his latest single The Mullets Are Moving In, which takes aim at the gentrification of Glasgow, we shine a spotlight on Doss
We love it when something exciting lands in our inbox, and at the end of January, an early listen to The Mullets Are Moving In by Glasgow wordsmith Doss provided more than just a little excitement as we felt compelled to take off our headphones and make everyone in the office listen to it. This vital piece of music takes aim at the increased gentrification of Glasgow areas like Finnieston and Dennistoun through tongue-in-cheek lyricism, with the mulleted hipster providing some comic relief amid a housing and cost of living crisis that is sadly all too real.
While Doss may call to mind straight-talking artists like Sleaford Mods and IDLES, he stays true to his Scottish roots with his own brand of electronic-post-punk-spoken-word; whatever you want to call it, it's nothing short of exhilarating, and makes Doss stand out as an exciting prospect in the Scottish musical canon. With all that in mind we felt it was important to speak to the man himself, so following the release of The Mullets Are Moving In we shine a spotlight on Doss to find out more.
We're relatively new to the world of Doss, and we really like what we hear. Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
Wits happenin? My name is Sorley Mackay, aka Doss. I've been makin' tunes since I was about 15, totally self-taught. I had an old 8-track that I would make a tune a day on. I'd make songs about everything, playing all the instruments; a lot of it was mince, but it all aided me in laying a solid foundation on how to compose and structure tunes. None of them saw the light of day. It was probably a mad fear of riddy culture that stopped me from ever releasing anything. It wasn't until Doss, when I was 22, that I started really pushing it.
Doss is a project that I started during lockdown. I've telt this story that many times now, I'm unsure if it's true, haha, but as I recall, Doss started after I snapped my wrist skateboarding. Being a left-handed musician (left one snapped), I had no means to create music anymore, just ma shitey right hand. I was isolated, depressed and angry. So I started just making tunes on a midi keyboard, programming simple beats on top of whatever was on my mind, being truly honest and expressing how I felt at the time. It's worked out so far, haha, silver linings and all that jazz.
Who or what inspires you and the music you make as Doss?
I think what inspires me with Doss is an ability to express myself honestly. I mind writing tunes when I was younger, singing in a mad trans-Atlantic accent; I was doing what was expected of me or what I thought people would be more receptive to.
Can you tell us more about The Mullets Are Moving In? Why mullets?
That’s my latest single. I wrote it like nine months ago, and it seems the sentiment is truer than ever. Broadly speaking, the song is about gentrification and the housing crisis, it’s a complex and sensitive subject, and the song only scratches the surface. In Glasgow, I’ve observed it first-hand, and it’s accelerating quickly. So I thought I’d write a wee funky tune aboot it.
I think I chose mullets, probably from working in a bar near the West End and seeing lots of seemingly posh wee trendy cunts with mullets (I’m an arsehole, I know). And look, I’m not saying that everyone with a mullet is some mad middle-class topper intentionally gentrifying areas in Glasgow, but it seemed like an appropriate vessel to talk about a subject which is very real and topical at the moment. You only have to look at how much flat prices have risen in Glasgow, especially in working-class areas, and think of how that displaces people and negatively affects the bonds intrinsic to those communities. To reiterate, it’s a complex, multifaceted subject, but definitely one worth talking about.
You're playing a headline show at The Bungalow in Paisley soon – what can people expect if they come to the live show?
Sweat, blood and tears. Lots of bodily fluid. Eldorado in vast quantities. People can expect a big ol’ rammy, no matter the show, no matter the crowd, we always give it 110. But it's made even better at a headliner 'cause everyone knows the tunes and goes proper tonto, which is what we like to see. So aye, to sum it up, it's gonna be a big sweaty number, not one to be missed, especially if yeev never seen us before.
Beyond all of that, what's the rest of the year looking like for you?
It’s looking good so far. Headliner at the end of the month. Then we’ve got gigs lined up down south throughout the spring. Currently started working on an EP, so hopefully that’ll be done at some point in the year. Then we’ll book a wee tour and ideally get some shows abroad. But to be honest, I keep my expectations low, this is a wee project started in ma bedroom with a laptop, anything that has happened so far has been a blessing, just gotta keep on keeping on, haha. Catch ye xxx
The Mullets Are Moving In is out now; Doss plays The Bungalow, Paisley, 23 Feb
Follow Doss on Instagram @doss.c_nt
Please not, an earlier version of this article was published with the incorrect copy, we're sorry for any confusion caused