CATHOLIC Action might sound like a religious pressure group, but they also happen to be a Glasgow four-piece with a cracking new single.
With meticulous instrumentation and a fantastic hook, The Real World is an indie-pop gem.
Though not as twee, there’s a whiff of Belle & Sebastian to the jaunty guitar lines and vocalist Chris McRory – who plays drums for Casual Sex in his spare time – recalls Franz Ferdinand’s Alex Kapranos in his prime.
The band don’t take the predictable route though, and this offering finishes with a charming guitar solo.
You can catch Catholic Action at multiple dates next week as they play Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness and Aberdeen.
Fellow Glasgow indie-rockers Baby Strange also returned this week with new single California Sun, which has summer anthem written all over it, being both gentle and melodic, but somehow also captures a Jesus and Mary Chain vibe.
It’s the first release from the band since February’s dark, driving VVV, and this latest effort showcases the band’s variety.
Another name on everyone’s lips is Stanley Odd. The
Scottish hip hop act captured everyone’s attention last year when their single, Son, I Voted Yes, went viral.
Their new single, Monsoon Season, is taken from A Thing Brand New, the same album that spawned the pro-independence track.
Instrumentally, it’s not much of a departure, featuring a similarly minimalist piano loop, only more sombre.
Frontman and rapper Solareye is particularly impressive here, conveying abstract imagery in his trademark stuttered flow.
The six-piece don’t seem to be slowing their work-rate either: you can see them at Oran Mor in Glasgow tomorrow.
Two years after their last effort, indie heavyweights Foals are officially back.
Though their fourth full-length LP What Went Down doesn’t hit shelves until August, they released the album’s title track online this week.
The single is a departure from the band’s angular sound, with vocalist Yannis Philippakis yelling like a man possessed over intermittent guitar phrases and an ominous organ drone.
Some fans may be disappointed to hear the Oxford four-piece shift so radically from their funky maths-rock origins, but What Went Down is a huge tune: stadium-rock beckons.
If Foals have gotten heavier, what can be said about the return of Refused?
The Swedish hardcore act shook the genre to its core when they released The Shape of Punk to Come in 1998.
Dawkins Christ, from forthcoming LP Freedom, marks their reformation in devastating fashion.
Though never afraid of aggressive political statement, Richard Dawkins’ militant atheism forms a new target.
While the band maintain a familiar unpredictable, even reckless approach to their songwriting, the dense sound – with gargantuan Slayer-esque riffs and foreboding atmosphere – suggests they’ve somehow gotten even heavier with age.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here