IT'S been through a number of alterations over the last few months, but Beta Waves released their latest single Hideaway recently.

The Dundee outfit – consisting of Harry Crossan and Dale Easson – unveiled their new track last week. It is the first release of their year for the duo but stays true to the sound they crafted through the likes of Let it Out, Love Love Love and I Think I'm Melting.

It was a bit of a project in itself for the pair and required a great deal of tinkering as demos went back and forth between Crossan in Dundee and Easson in London. Still, it remains a continuation of the blended indie/dance focus they have crafted, though Crossan reckons they may venture into slightly heavier territory later this year.

He tells The Weekender: "We went through multiple versions of the song – they will never see the light of day. It used to sound a little more guitar-heavy, so we tried to make it more dancey but we went a bit too far in that end before finding that balance.

He adds: "We've had a good response so far. The last two songs we put out before Hideaway were a little more chilled and down tempo, whereas this one is a little faster and we want to bring more tempo into our set. When you play a lot of slower songs live then you can lose the crowd a wee bit. The next track after this will definitely be on the heavier side – well, heavy by our standards."

Beta Waves have their roots in the mid-2000s, taking at least some steer from the emergence of "new rave" artists. The ephemeral movement helped fuelled an uncompromising desire in the duo – something reflected in their core sound.

Crossan says: "Dale and I have been making music together, under different guises, for years. When the band started, we both wanted it to be predominantly a dancey thing – something to play in a nightclub, but with that crossover appeal to indie fans.

"I've always liked listening to electronic music; Dale has always been into Indy rock and more guitar music. We've struck a good understanding and a happy balance between the two.

"Dale and I were just leaving school when that New Rave thing hit – bands like Klaxons and Late of the Pier, who could be on the cover of NME but playing in nightclubs. There was a real crossover, but you don't really have that anymore; it's usually one or the other."

Planning for the future is key for Crossan and Easson. Indeed, the duo had ambitious plans to release a new song – along with a remix – every single month for a year. But the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, and the subsequent inability to perform those songs live, is likely to alter the idea.

Nevertheless, they are not ones to sit back – and will continue to work on new material. Indeed, the band are working on a song called FFS – Future Fifa Song – though Crossan admits it is a working title.

In the meantime, the two will continue to submit demos back and forth from London to Dundee. While a few hundred miles away, Crossan insists the distance has never been an issue for either of them.

"We both have full-time jobs," Crossan continues. "But we are both pretty specific with our timekeeping and it's never really been an issue being far away. We send each other things all the time and when we meet up together, we just churn it out.

"There's no egos – we're on the same wavelength in terms of what we want to sound like."

LISTEN: Hideaway by Beta Waves