Payton Campbell, aka Psweatpants, is Zooming fresh from emergency dental treatment, flashing his pearly whites regularly as he contemplates finding his unexpected musical home in Glasgow as a rapper in an indie world. Campbell grew up in Camberwell, a South London borough which oozes grime (the music kind, that is). His Jamaican parents brought him up on reggae and dancehall, and he recalls that local DJs would regularly set up their decks al fresco on his estate for weekend block parties. 

At the same time, teenage Campbell was getting into Arctic Monkeys and nu-metal, cultivating eclectic tastes and contemplating a career making music videos. He had no rapping aspirations until encouraged to try by a beat-making friend. Upon reaching his late teens, Psweatpants had manifested.

In case you've been wondering, his nom de rap is pronounced ‘P sweatpants’. No silent ‘p’ here. Campbell got that nickname from a set of bright blue sweats he wore continually to college. He opted to continue his studies in Scotland, enrolling in a media course in Edinburgh and then relocating to Glasgow in 2021 where he has slowly carved a space in a smaller, spirited scene.

Campbell still seems a little perplexed at the comparatively bijou nature of Scottish hip hop but he sees considerable potential, with himself right in the mix. Finding an unlikely home among the city’s indie musicians where he is more likely to appear on gig bills with the likes of Declan Welsh and Vlure. ‘Even though it’s not the same sound, we bring the same type of energy,’ he says. ‘We’re all like-minded people from different walks of life. I can’t even explain why but the two worlds just merge and the crowd gets where I’m coming from.’

The Psweatpants catalogue currently numbers a trio of EPs with South Ain’t That Bad followed by Life Was Shit, It Still Is Now and AM/FM Radio, the latter paying tribute to pirate radio with samples from local community hip-hop broadcasts. His next release, 2 Left Feet, was originally intended to be a standalone track but has expanded to four tunes bringing together Edinburgh’s grime and jungle scene with Glasgow’s undying love of techno for a pan-M8 party. ‘A lot of these tracks are about enjoying the time you’re in and not taking things too seriously. Forget all your troubles for a night and worry about it tomorrow morning; that’s the main take from the EP.’

In yet another cultural collision, the EP has been produced by Finn Freeburn Morrison, guitarist in Perth-bred, Glasgow-based indie rabble-rousers Parliamo. Psweatpants also hints at some guest spots to come. ‘I’ve started to lean into the alternative and my next projects are going to be more of that side of my influence. I don’t think you would hear it in my music but I listen to James Blake when I think about building a track. I’m getting better every year and I think I’m in the process of having something to make people go “what’s happening here?”’

2 Left Feet is released on Wednesday 6 November, with a club-night launch at Sneaky Pete’s, Edinburgh on Thursday 7 November.