ROCK
WITH their energetic style and instrumental flair, post-rock four-piece VASA have set the Scottish scene alight over the past four years. The band are finally set to release their debut album, the aptly named Colours, on October 16.
VASA have been somewhat methodical in their strategy of revealing individual tracks before the release, with each new drop presenting a different side to the band’s diverse sound.
Their latest release Poseidon’s Kiss showcases a dancier vibe, as colossal riffs make way for Foals-esque grooves and interweaving guitar melodies. Like every VASA track it’s still designed to blow your socks off, but there’s an accessible edge to it that will stand them in good stead as they progress.
You can watch VASA launch their album at The Old Hairdressers, Glasgow, on Friday, October 16.
FOLK
ANYBODY who follows the wonderfully DIY Hits the Fan Records will know that they have a very good hit rate for a label their size. As well as providing a platform for Frightened Rabbit on their first record, the label also released Kathryn Joseph’s astonishing SAY Award winning album.
In that sense, recently signed teenage brother duo JR Green have a lot to live up to. Nigerian Princess, the lead track from their upcoming EP Bring The Witch Doctor, dispels any doubts.
Strumming acoustic guitar alongside accordion, the duo clearly have their own approach to modern folk. There’s a maturity and grittiness to the duo’s music that belies their ages, even if their lyrics are more from the NME indie playbook than their folk leanings would suggest.
HIP HOP
WHILE he adopts a more comical persona for his sporadic rap battle performances, Dumbarton’s Jonny Millar a.k.a. Milla has often been accused of being a poor man’s Mog due to his gritty subject matter on tracks.
His new single Trying to Make It is a more classically aspirational boom bap banger, as he paints listeners a vivid picture of life in his G82 postcode. Though his bragging about being “known around his schemes” might feel inauthentic in isolation, here it contributes to a convincing rap persona. Gloomy subject matters are also offset by Milla’s humour: “When I was 15 I thought I was in love, when I was 16 I thought I was a thug / when I was 17 I ended up getting dumped, when you add it all up it’s the life of a mug.”
ELECTRONIC
“HORROR Synth” merchants Ubre Blanca are at their deliciously gothic best on their new The Sadist EP, especially on the lead title track where rumbling synths and melodramatic keys are greeted by live drum sounds that add a bit of raw power to the mix.
Elsewhere, Dumfries-born producer Rudi Zygadlo has a more dense production style, building on dozens and dozens of samples to a sound that is nonetheless delicate on new single Sympathies Scrapbook.
If you fancy a live experience that is akin to a multi-arts experience, you could do worst than watch Zygadlo at Sneaky Pete’s, Edinburgh, on October 13; The Stove, Dumfries, on October 15; or the newly-opened venue St Luke’s, Glasgow, on October 17.
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