Industry news & advice blog

Squiggles - ‘This is a Wake Up Call’

Melodic and gritty in equal measures, Squiggles is the new project of Niall McCamley, and seems the perfect vehicle for his intrinsically offbeat musical escapades. The latest single of the Edinburgh based indie punks ‘This is a Wake Up Call’ is doubtless fun for the listener, but is derived from a slightly troubled period, as Niall explains;

“It comes from a place of panic and worry. I wrote it after my previous band The Spook School came to a close and lots of things in my life felt like they were just drifting. I'm constantly worried I lack direction and someone will find out that I have no idea what I'm doing. The track is about shaking myself up and listening to the little voice in the back of my head that says 'go on, run down Sauchiehall Street dressed as a superhero'. I need to do daft things to stay sane I think, and hopefully, it resonates with people.”

Having experienced some pretty amazing adventures as the drummer in The Spook School…think SXSW, Canadian Music Week, a US tour with Diet Cig, but most notably managing to convince ex-footballer Pat Nevin to drop the band name into BBC 5Live commentary during an FA Cup game…Squiggles has a lot to live up to, but they’re already off to a smashing start. Following their debut live show, opening the main stage at the dearly missed Indietracks Festival, the band received early press support from Bandcamp editorial, The Skinny and Austin Town Hall, as well as airplay from Nicola Meighan and Vic Galloway at BBC Scotland, plus Jim Gellatly and Jake Crossland at Amazing Radio.

So could 2022 be the year that Squiggles win over more hearts, minds and ears? With more songs, festivals and shows on the agenda, it’s looking very promising. Debut EP ‘Look What We Have Done’ is ready to be unleashed on 22nd April 2022 via Alcopop! Records, and in the meantime why not become part of the Squiggles cult yourself with your membership here.

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Rhona Macfarlane - ‘Closing The Window’

From a gem of an idea sparked by the Carol Ann Duffy poem ‘Empty Nest’, Scottish singer songwriter Rhona Macfarlane has crafted a divine, soothing and touching song in ‘Closing the Window’, allowing her accomplished storytelling to shine through.

The latest single to be unveiled from her EP of the same name, Rhona shares the inspiration and meaning behind the track; “Written during the pandemic when family visits were allowed for the first time, it’s about the change from childhood into adulthood and the realisation that most of the time you will ever spend with your parents has already passed and time back with them again in your childhood home may not ever be what it used to be. It is about the struggle of letting go of that part of your life and trying to move on while still reassuring your parents that you will always need them and be there in some way.”

A graduate of The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Rhona is a versatile musician with her roots in Americana and Indie Folk. Her capacity to create stunning songs from everyday human experience has given her music a special, stand-out quality and her talent is rightly turning heads. Previous single ‘Better When You’re Around’ was selected as ‘Record of the Week’ on the BBC Radio Scotland Afternoon Show, and her EP has received extensive radio play from the likes of BBC Radio nan Gàidheal, BBC Introducing, The Roddy Hart Show, Travelling Folk and the Iain Anderson Show on BBC Radio Scotland. Rhona has also reached the Top 10 for the Liverpool International Song for Kindness Competition, and performing at the legendary Cavern Club was an added highlight.

Currently writing new music, Rhona is excited to get back to playing live. Prior to lockdowns she has performed at Celtic Connections and Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival, and this year will see her return to the festival stages with a slot confirmed at EskFest in the Lake District in July. As part of the Scotland on Tour project, she is in the midst of planning more gigs, so look out for some much-awaited headline shows across Scotland in the near future.

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Gardner - ‘Down at the Cornerstone’

Fresh out of the oven, with no airplay, blog reviews or playlist features to shout about (yet!), is Gardner, aka artist Dave Webster who is busy collaborating with various musicians, including Pete Baker (Mohair, Younghusband, The Staves), Sean Douglas (engineer for Wire, Django Django), Ezmay Grace and more, to create, record and release music. Only his second release ‘Down at the Cornerstone’ packs a potent punch and is brimming with American influence; skilfully harnessing the lo-fi 90s slacker vibes of Dinosaur Junior, the classic rock feel of Tom Petty, and laced with flourishes of country music too.

The song feels comfortingly familiar yet charged and groundbreaking at the same time, and Gardner have struck the balance of light and dark exceptionally well. Dave sums up the sound “...like a pendulum swinging somewhere between a lonesome hick on his back step singing to a cornfield at sundown, to a packed mosh pit in full bounce at Brixton Academy.”

The lyric video was produced by Dave himself and fits perfectly with the nostalgic feel of the track. It’s composed from tourists’ Super 8 home movie footage of holidays in New York City, filmed from the 1970s to the 2020s. The catalyst for the lyrics however came from a much less alluring situation; “‘Down At The Cornerstone’ is the story of a modern day fallen angel struggling to survive in the urban jungle, told from her perspective. It was inspired by a real person, a waitress at a café in Old Street back in the day. It’s a tragic tale of a kind, vulnerable illegal immigrant desperately trying to keep it together in a strange new Western city, but finding herself dragged into the underworld. The fantastic Ezmay Grace provided guest vocals to give voice to that angelic character, recording her parts remotely from Cornwall during lockdown.”

Yet to embark on playing live, there is an abundance of material to be released - 2 albums worth in fact! - so you can rest assured that more new music will be bestowed upon us soon. As for gigs… “when the season is right, there will be shows…” so watch this space.

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Soft Wax - ‘Nobody Wants You’

Strongly influenced by The Weeknd and Frank Ocean, DIY synth pop duo Soft Wax have definitely taken a leaf from their books when it comes to infectious, melodic music that makes you want to dance and cry at the same time. Throw into the mix some elements of MGMT, Tame Impala and 80s electronic pop, plus an undeniably catchy chorus, and you’ve got yourself an unforgettable banger, despite the songs woeful lyrics; “The overriding theme of the song stems from the loneliness of being liked but never loved, and brings with it the subsequent feelings of frustration and changed self-image.”

Using the lockdowns to build a studio in an old shed at the end of their garden in Kent, Soft Wax aka Dan and Chris write, produce and record everything themselves. And they’ve been super busy in the shed, lining up a string of singles to delight us all with, which will eventually form their debut EP.

‘Nobody Wants You’ has already secured a place on Spotify’s ‘Peach’ playlist, and the airplay has been stacking up for their singles across Amazing Radio, BBC 6Music, with Abbie McCarthy on BBC Introducing crowning previous release 'Dreaming' as her ‘Record of the Week’. The gigs have also been flowing with Soft Wax playing alongside the likes of Sports Team, Walt Disco and Broken Hands. Next on the agenda is to bag a festival slot, and I’m sure the summer of 2022 will allow the pair to realise this goal.

With a planned schedule of dropping a new single every 6-8 weeks, there’s plenty more new material to look forward to over the coming months, so let’s sit back and enjoy the synth pop ride.

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Sad Boys Club - ‘The Void Or Nothing’

As their name would suggest, Sad Boys Club have carved a niche in the realm of melancholic, nostalgic indie. And their downbeat sound has proven to be quite a hit, as the London based fourpiece have garnered support for previous singles ‘Your Mind (Makes Mine Seem Fine)’, and ‘White Hart Lane’ from the likes of BBC Radio 1’s Jack Saunders, The Independent, Clash, Dork, Gigwise and The Line Of Best Fit.

From the opening minor chord chimes to its rousing chorus and climatic guitar solo, ‘The Void or Nothing’ is defiant, alternative rock, laced with lamenting at its finest. Speaking about the track and their debut EP ‘I'm Not Afraid of The Death (But I Am Afraid of The Dying)’, frontman Jacob says; “You can be optimistic and totally without hope. That’s a lot of what life feels like, I think that’s what the whole EP is building to; this big crash landing. Art without an air of hopelessness is boring, but so is endless cynicism, you need to leave the door ajar.”

Building a solid reputation for explosive live performances, Sad Boys Club have definitely been putting the hours in when it comes to gigging; supporting Spector, milk, Bombay Bicycle Club, Spector, Slow Readers Club and King No-One, amongst others, and also taking to the road on their own headline tour.

Coming up in 2022 will be slots at The Great Escape festival, Sound City, Y Not Festival, plus they join milk on stage again for an Irish tour. Tickets for their 8 date UK/EU tour in June are now on sale, and EP ‘I'm Not Afraid of The Death (But I Am Afraid of The Dying)’ is out now on Modern Sky.

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