Pictish Trail releases new single ‘Sorry Eyes’, teases sixth studio album
The prolific electro-folk act will release new album Life Slime this April
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Pictish Trail, the long-standing electro-folk alias for musician Johnny Lynch, is teeing up 2026 for a new album and accompanying tour. Tickets for the tour are on sale now. Scroll to the bottom of this article for a detailed list of his shows.
Titled Life Slime, Pictish Trail's sixth studio album is set for release on Friday 10 April via Lost Map and Fire Records, and finds Lynch on confident form after his critically acclaimed last album, Island Family, gained him a wealth of new fans. According to Lynch, Life Slime is essentially a break-up album, containing ‘a lot of the hardship, guilt, pain and confusion that come with that kind of upheaval.’
'Although all my albums are rooted in my own experience,’ Lynch continues, ‘Life Slime feels like my most personal collection of songs to date.'
Kicking the promo trail off with a glam strut is lead single ‘Sorry Eyes’, a slinky bassline driven ode to the chunky synth pop of the 1980s. According to Lynch: ‘[This is] a song that lives in that messy psychological space where you internalise someone else’s anger and start directing it at yourself. The hook deliberately blurs “sorry eyes” and “sorry ass” – it’s meant to sound like self-mockery, the voice in your head when you’re convinced you’ve failed. The confusion between those phrases still makes me laugh, and it’s been especially fun to play live.’
Listen to ‘Sorry Eyes’ below.
Pictish Trail has long been a highly regarded act in Scotland, while Lynch’s work founding the label Lost Map arguably exemplifies the indie spirit that’s driven the country’s music scene since the beginning of Postcard Records, platforming artists as diverse as Rozi Plain, Alabaster dePlume, Seamus Fogarty, Bas Jan, Callum Easter and Free Love. Good luck with the new release, Johnny.
Tracklist for Life Slime:
1 ‘Hold It’
2 ‘Life Slime’
3 ‘Toxic Spillage’
4 ‘Battery Pack’
5 ‘Another Way’
6 ‘Sorry Eyes’
7 ‘Infinity Ooze’
8 ‘Crystal Cave’
9 ‘Torch Song’
10 ‘Werewolf Ending’
Pictish Trail’s 2026 UK tour dates:
St Luke’s, Glasgow, Saturday 17 January (part of Celtic Connections)
The Tolbooth, Stirling, Thursday 23 April
Harbour Arts Centre, Irvine, Friday 24 April
The Tunnels, Aberdeen, Saturday 25 April
The Cluny, Newcastle, Sunday 26 April
The Attic, Leeds, Monday 27 April
La Belle Angele, Edinburgh, Tuesday 28 April
The Pink Room | Yes, Manchester, Friday 1 May
The John Peel Centre, Stowmarket, Saturday 2 May
Billy Bootleggers, Nottingham, Sunday 3 May
The Prince Albert, Stroud, Monday 4 May
Ramsgate Music Hall, Ramsgate, Tuesday 5 May
The Boileroom, Guildford, Wednesday 6 May
The Barrel House, Totnes, Thursday 7 May
Alphabet, Brighton, Friday 8 May
The Lexington, London, Sunday 10 May
Life Slime will be released by Lost Map and Fire Records on Friday 10 April; Tickets for Pictish Trail’s UK tour are on sale now; main picture: Stephanie Gibson.
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