THE best company for sunny skies is cold drinks and brand new tunes.

While the beer gardens might be a few months away, summer is most definitely on the horizon.

True to form, the Scottish music scene can always be relied upon to serve up barbecue-worthy tracks to sweeten those long evenings.

Also, today is another Bandcamp Friday and a perfect opportunity to support the bands that are continuing to turn out class for the airwaves.


Jamie Button - Told You Things
Bandcamp: https://jamiebutton.bandcamp.com/track/told-you-things

Once again, Dundee-based singer/songwriter, Jamie Button, has released a widely relatable and powerful single that — though starts out as a guitar ballad — transcends into something beyond at the arrival of the chorus.

One-line review: “Accelerating like the car of a relationship fugitive, before resuming to a melancholy equilibrium, Button’s acoustic guitar swerves in-between two stages of relationship grief: detachment and passion and that can be felt in both the emotion of the lyrics as well as the emotion of his playing.”

FFO: Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, Oasis, The Verve
 

Steve Grozier - Memories
Bandcamp: https://stevegrozier.bandcamp.com/

After continuous success in the country music scene and playing at Europe’s largest country music festival, there is no doubt that Grozier deserves his credit as he’s yet again produced another effortlessly emotional lead single.

One-line review: “You’d be forgiven for thinking that this single borders on the line of Indie folk but be fooled not, the beautifully subtle feel of call and response between the rhythm of an acoustic guitar and the slide of another is everything that signifies a fantastic, emotionally melodic alternative country vibe.”

FFO: Bon Iver, Ben Howard, Jose Gonzalez, Leif Vollebekk, Sufjan Stevens


La Club Royale - Rise Up
This Ayrshire duo make their debut into the music scene with an upbeat, modern synth-based single which has incredible potential to see them Rise Up in the industry.

One-line review: “Though interwoven with the buoyant feel from a catchy synth riff, this single does not feel restricted to its 80s predecessors, with the domination of electric guitar and rawness of lead vocals; this feels limitless and modern.”

FFO: New Order, Depeche Mode, Post Ironic State, Kraftwerk, Eurythmics, Brandon Flowers


Cameron Ledwidge - Sometimes in Love (acoustic) 
After securing a place on the tenth season of The Voice UK, modest Denny-born musician Cameron Ledwidge is continuously going from strength to strength, which is demonstrated in this soft, acoustic Lewis Capaldi-esque single.

One-line review: “Range, emotion and harmonies: the recipe for a tear-jerking love song that Ledwidge nails in this new single.”

FFO: Lewis Capaldi, Shawn Mendes, Ed Sheeran, Conan Gray


Terrified Daisy - Hearts on Fire
This Aberdeen-based singer/songwriter describes himself as the lovechild of Leonard Cohen and Johnny Cash, which going off this brand new debut single, there’s a suspicion that he might be right.

One-line review: “There’s a kind of rawness from this single that feels stripped back, vulnerable and honest from its rhythmic simplicity yet lyrical beauty.”

FFO: Leonard Cohen, Johnny Cash, Don McLean


Oh! Paulo - The Sea (full release Mar 6 - artist page)
Bandcamp: https://ohpaulo.bandcamp.com/

Aberdeen is really proving its musical talents with another exceptionally emotive single from singer/songwriter, Paul Duncan.

One-line review: “Though Oh! Paulo usually dwells in the realms of a softer Alternative/Indie land, this single feels uniquely heavy, bordering on the lines of Grunge - from heavy guitar distortion and a passionate power in the vocals.”

FFO: Car Seat Headrest, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, The Verve, Richard Ashcroft, Nirvana 


Audiokicks - Grow (released March 6 - artist page)
Bandcamp: https://audiokicks.bandcamp.com/album/grow

What started out as a three-piece band has now become four and this new single shows that this Aberdeen-based Alternative-Rock band are brimming with power, passion and genius. 

One-line review: “This single begins with a gentle delicacy in the continuous sound of the high-hat before reaching a powerful climax at the chorus perpetuated by powerful lead vocals.”

FFO: The Rah, Shambolics, Vida, The War on Drugs
 

Jonah Eli - Oh Joe
Bandcamp: https://jonaheli.bandcamp.com/releases

This exceptional debut single from Kilmarnock-based musician, Jonah Eli, is nothing short of a credit to the indie and alternative music scene.

One-line review: “From the tone of the guitar to the faultless vocals and all the layers of instrumentation in-between, it would be a great injustice to refer to this single as anything other than a work of art.”

FFO: The War on Drugs, Cameo Habitat, Arcade Fire, Tame Impala


Arcade State - Begin to Break
After only forming in 2019, this Glasgow-based band have been consistently on the up from gaining a considerable fanbase to being played on BBC Radio Scotland, there is no reason why this new single won’t end up with the same airtime, if not more.

One-line review: “Piano feels like a dying instrument in the Alternative Rock genre so it’s incredibly refreshing to be introduced to this single by the keys, where it impeccably compliments a steady drumbeat and frequent harmonies.”

FFO: Stereophonics, Travis, Keane, Twin Atlantic, Biffy Clyro 
 

Salt River Shakedown - Honey
Glasgow-based — though easily mistaken for a classic rock band straight out of the USA— Salt River Shakedown have certainly put the ‘Rock’ in Rock’n’Roll with this new single.

One-line review: “This single feels like if the vocals of Kurt Cobain met with the guitar genius of The Eagles—a charming concoction of folk and blues-rock with a hint of grunge.”

FFO: The Eagles, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Chris Stapleton, Rival Sons