OPPORTUNITY has been few and far between for many artists during the pandemic.

Every band has their own tale of heartache, whether it has been an anticipated UK tour that has paid the price or a well-crafted release plan for new material.

But the one silver lining, for some, has been a period of recuperation and a chance to write…and write…and write.

Oskar Braves frontman David Stevens broached lockdown with a mind set on creation. He had been writing material for some time, but when presented with more time on his hands he used it wisely.

The prospect of launching a solo project had been a consideration for the hard-working Kirkcaldy man for a while, but circumstances laid the groundwork.

Now, launching material under the Dovv moniker, Stevens is stepping through the doorway of a brand-new chapter.

"I love gigging," he tells The Weekender. "Up until lockdown started, I gigged three times a week for about three years – just playing anywhere I possibly could, whether acoustic, full band, playing guitar for someone or just coming in to sing for someone who couldn't make a gig.

"There are times when things with the boys can get a little quiet. They all have really good jobs and they are all settling into new houses, taking out mortgages and the likes. Whereas I'm 25 and still living with my mum!

"But then I didn't need to move out – before the virus hit, I was never in the house. I would be out working, teaching kids at a music project a couple of nights a week, band practice, gigging through the weekend.

"And that was every week. It was so manic for years and so there was no real point, I thought, in buying a flat to never be in it.

"A friend of mine had said to me: 'You seem to be the only one in Oskar Braves without a real job. Why not look at doing a solo project as well, and not keep all your eggs in the one basket', so to speak?"

Dovv will be departure in tone from Oskar Braves, but it is in this new territory that Stevens will test himself – both with his vocals and songwriting.

The singer adds: "I felt like going back to the roots of why I started playing guitar in the first place and the stuff I used to sing when I was young.

"I was always a massive fan of Bruce Springsteen and Tom Petty – that was what was always playing in the house when I was a kid. My grandad was into his old school rock 'n' roll, and all the legends like Roy Orbison.

"And when I started writing on my own, it was just such a different style to Oskar Braves. It was a lot more raw, and the guitars are stripped back to the classic sound of 70s and the early 80s and my old influences are coming into play."

Dovv's debut single will arrive on December 4 in the form of Backstreets of Your Mind.

The track is one of 13 written for the project so far, but only came into being a few weeks ago.

Stevens had been noodling around with his guitar at home and enlisted the help of his mum to kickstart the writing process.

"The first single was actually the last one written," he recalls. "It was about five or six weeks ago; I was sitting in the living room and was playing around with this chord progression and I said to my mum that we should maybe do something with it. She then said: 'oh, I've got an idea' and between us, we sat and wrote this song in about 20 minutes.

"Later on, I added the middle section and, together with the boys in the band, we wrote the harmonies. It worked out really well and it's the one we chose to release.

"We have another 12 songs sitting there and ready to go. But I thought there was something special about this one and that this should be the debut single.

"It was the last one I wrote, but it might just be the best one. I think most musicians will say that – no matter how many songs you write, you'll always think the last one you wrote is the best. Every time you write a song, you improve."

Stevens put together an impressive band for his Dovv project.

Lewis Moncur – former Between the Lines frontman – takes up drumming duties, while Moonlight Zoo's Jamie Adamson was recruited to play lead guitar.

John Muir also plays guitar with Ben Sharp on bass completing the line-up.

Stevens adds: "I'm fronting with the vocals, but Jamie, Lewis and Ben are all providing harmonies and backing vocals. It's sounding great.

"The boys are very, very talented. It's great to have them on board. I would hate to have session musicians in – it's important to have friends by your side and get them involved in everything.

"It's like Oskar Braves in that sense. It's a great balance and we all look after each other."

LISTEN: Dovv – Backstreets of Your Mind (released Friday, December 4).