Young Fathers have scooped this year’s SAY Award prize for their fourth LP Heavy Heavy, having previously won the award in 2014 for Tape Two and Cocoa Sugar in 2018. Band member Alloysious Massaquoi represented the band onstage at last night’s award ceremony to collect the award and the £20,000 prize money. 

The band saw off competition from nine more nominees in the shortlist to become the only act to win the SAY Award three times, including Bemz, Hamish Hawk, Becky Sikasa, Andrew Wasylyk and Paolo Nutini. 

We loved Heavy Heavy when it released in February, writing, ‘This generosity of spirit is present in every bar of Heavy Heavy, in what often feels like a culmination of the core Young Fathers sound. Fidgety rhythms, paradoxically elusive yet specific lyrics, exhilarating bricolage of genre: every trick in their arsenal is pushed to its limit and refined to near perfection. The future of our country may be gloomy, a fact that proves inescapable on swaggering tracks such as ‘I Saw’, but its not the focus. Standing proudly at the centre of this infectious, irresistible album are snapshots of elation, the comfort of friends, lovers and family buffering the world’s turbulence. So go on, shrug off life’s enervating force and have a dance.’ Read the full review here. 

Also winning awards was Paolo Nutini, whose debut album These Streets was given the Modern Scottish Classic award for its contribution to Scottish music, and newcomers No Windows, who were named The Sound Of Young Scotland award, which comes with a £10,000 funding package to create their debut album. 

Robert Kilpatrick, Interim CEO and Creative Director of the Scottish Music Industry Association (SMIA) said, ‘In 2018, Young Fathers made history by becoming the first artist to win the Scottish Album of the Year Award twice. As the band continued on a meteoric rise; defying definitions with their sound and bringing a level of energy and power that’s uniquely theirs, tonight sees them claim Scotland’s national music prize for the third time with their strongest and most mesmerising body of work to date. 

‘Their win signifies the importance of recognising and investing in outstanding Scottish talent, and through the support of The SAY Award (and many other well-deserved accolades), Young Fathers continue to capture the magic and bring it into the lives of music fans worldwide.’

Read our primers for each SAY Award-nominated album below:  

Andrew Wasylyk – Hearing the Water before Seeing the Falls

‘Originating from a commissioned response to Thomas Joshua Cooper’s The World’s Edge exhibition at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery and taking inspiration from Derek Jarman’s diary Modern Nature, there’s a vastness about this album; like we are soaring across epic landscapes rather than honing in on individual elements. Not only is Wasylyk’s latest work beautifully composed but entirely transportative in nature.’ Read more here.

Becky Sikasa – Twelve Wooden Boxes
‘Soulful ballads lie at the core of this EP, bolstered by Sikasa’s soaring vocals. A piano and her powerhouse voice carry these songs through the world-weary sadness of everyday living, downbeat and self-pitying while also celebrating those people in life who pick you up, brush you off and help you struggle on.’ Read more here. 

Bemz – Nova’s Dad

‘f Bemz’ last EP M4 was about trying to forge ahead in his music career, then Nova’s Dad examines why that propulsion actually matters. At the centre of the lyrics is his daughter Nova, and his bold move to build a better life for both himself and for her. On that strong thematic backbone he builds a deeply personal character study of failing mental health, his hunger for fame, and the haphazard journey to become a better man.’ Read more here. 

Brìghde Chaimbeul – Carry Them With Us

‘Chaimbeul’s smallpipe album Carry Them With Us manages to be arresting, soothing, uncomfortable and cathartic at various stages throughout its rich 35 minutes. Created in partnership with multi-instrumentalist and film scorer Colin Stetson (Hereditary, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Menu), this is by far the most experimental record on this year’s SAY Award shortlist and beautifully showcases the avant-garde corners of Scottish traditional music.’ Read more here. 

Brooke Combe – Black Is the New Gold

‘Classic indie rock drum loops, anthemic choruses and commanding vocals abound in this short but snappy debut album from Edinburgh-born singer songwriter Brooke Combe. From title track ‘Black Is The New Gold’ to second-to-last song ‘Impress You’, Combe’s ability to write a killer hook and catchy topline melodies (usually sang to ‘doos’ or ‘ooohs’) is commendable.’ Read more here. 

Cloth – Secret Measure

‘This is perfect headphone music, its delicate dynamics and murmured vocal delivery offering soothing respite and high-strung neuroses all at the same time. There’s a volcano bubbling in the consciousness of twins Rachael and Paul Swinton that never boils over, instead striking and relenting with a hypnotic beauty. Yet this isn’t the same melancholic drama usually offered up by Rock Action records. Unlike labelmates The Twilight Sad, Kathryn Joseph, Arab Strap and Mogwai, Cloth’s combination of rich harmonics and fretful lyrics is leavened by a light at the end of the tunnel.’ Read more here. 

Hamish Hawk – Angel Numbers

‘Like a Frankenstein’s Monster of Neil Hannon’s witty lyricism, Morrissey’s arch vocal delivery and a jangly indie that Vic Galloway would have championed late at night on BBC Radio Scotland in 2005. Sarcy as that description might seem, the combination itself is as delightful as it’s ever been on his fourth LP. It’s the most Hamish Hawk that Hamish Hawk has ever sounded, overflowing with confidence, imagination and momentum as he weaves his labyrinthine lyrics through expansive rock tunes that shoot for a big audience without diluting his idiosyncrasies.’ Read more here. 

Joesef – Permanent Damage

‘A melting pot of delicious genres (soul, pop, jazz, psych rock) steadily marinating together on a gentle simmer. Emotionally charged lyrics disguised within layered vocals and stacked harmonies add weight to the lo-fi soundscapes, while things occasionally heat up in tempo and groove in tracks like ‘Didn’t Know How (To Love You)’, ‘All Good’ and ‘Last Orders’.’ Read more here. 

Paolo Nutini – Last Night In The Bittersweet

‘Moody guitars prevail on even the most romantic of songs here, buffeting against Springsteen-worshipping americana, flirtations with Scottish folk, and a side-helping of prog to turn his usual plea for a lover into the self-pitying howl of a desperate man. He even weighs into Arab Strap territory on album opener ‘Afterneath’, his despairing spoken word and squalls of post-rock distortion painting a portrait of desolation and defeat. We’re a long way from ‘New Shoes’ now.‘ Read more here. 

Young Fathers – Heavy Heavy

‘Fans of Young Fathers know this band doesn't shy away from layering musical influences and styles and this fourth LP is their boldest amalgamation of sound yet, miraculously fusing hammering gospel keys, folky melodies, bluesy rock ‘n’ roll and aggressive electronic drums throughout its chaotic yet cohesive ten tracks. Self-produced by the trio (made up of Alloysious Massaquoi, Kayus Bankole and Graham 'G' Hastings), it's testament to their collaborative skills in the studio that the delicate balance was struck so perfectly.’ Read more here.