By the time this article is live, many of you will be wrapping your ears around Inferno, the first Boards Of Canada album in 13 years. But if you’re averse to satanic ambient electronica, here are plenty of fantastic singles to give you a pop, rock, folk, dance and jazz fix. Pop some headphones on and give them a listen. 

If you’ve got a song you’d like to see featured in Singles In Your Area, share it with us at [email protected]. 

Dara Dubh 
‘Push:Pull (not falling for you)’ 

There aren’t many acts combining harps, folk, funk and Irish spoken word, and that’s part of what’s makes Dubh a breath of fresh air. A reflection on relationships gone sour, she’s created an anthem of punch-the-air empowerment that foregrounds her prodigious talent on the harp. This is the first single from Dubh’s debut album, Go Like Crazy Big Moon, set for release later in the year. An album preview show will take place at Pianodrome Bruntsfield, Edinburgh, on Friday 5 June. 

Sonedo 
‘Groove’ (Featuring P.Sweatpants) 

Breakbeat rhythms drive Sonedo’s newest single, complemented by impeccable bars from P.Sweatpants. The rise of Scottish jazz has been a treat, leading the local music scene down a thousand glittering byways, and this single (in fact, Sonedo’s entire album From Here On Out, which is out now) is a prime reason why.  

Susan Bear 
‘Utopia’ 

Susan Bear has developed an incredible reputation in Scotland's indie space, and this heartfelt electronic utopia shows why their creative imagination is valued. According to Bear, it was written almost entirely with hardware synthesisers and drum machines from the Glasgow Library Of Synthesised Sound, where they work, including a 1981 Roland TR-808, Moog Grandmother, Korg Minilogue XD and Elektron Analog Rytm.  

Beth Miller 
‘Ctrl, Alt, Delete’ 

Airy pop with jazzy undertones from this Edinburgh-based singer-songwriter, who’s channelling more than a hint of Corrine Bailey Rae’s light touch. ‘I’m letting go, I’m breaking free with a little ctrl, alt, delete’ is the hookiest line here, a charming depiction of escaping a relationship in the digital age.

Boards Of Canada 
‘Introit’ and ‘Prophecy At 1420 MHz’

The mystery of Boards Of Canada only grows deeper with every release. After a few sleights of hand, this is the first proper single from the duo’s new album Inferno (even then, it’s actually two tracks combined). There’s a lot going on here; it moves between Arabian mysticism, trip hop rhythms with a demonic guitar, and onto electronica wobbliness that grows into a sinister lurch before a wilting fade out. If this is a sign of things to come for Inferno, then expect their electro-horror to be more heart-racing than anything they’ve done before. 

Walt Disco 
‘Coup De Foudre’ 

If the mid-2000s is the new north star for alternative music, then Walt Disco are at the front of the pack. With an angular guitar number recalling Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Bravery, We Are Scientists and their ilk, this is a throwaway jolt of fun bolstered by Jocelyn Si’s yelping new-wave vocals.

Gallus 
‘Letter From America’ 

One of those ‘sure, why not?’ cover versions, turning the cheesy Proclaimers into a ragged Pixies-ish knockabout. We can imagine this being used as an anthem by plenty of Tartan Army diehards when they hit the States this summer. Lead vocalist Barry Dolan said: ‘The Proclaimers have some of the most beautiful songs and it just makes you so proud to be Scottish. This song is for everyone in Scotland. “Letter For America” is about rooting for the wee guys and that’s what we’re going to do during this world cup campaign, and that’s what we should do as a society anyway!’

Corto.alto 
‘Thief’ 

A slinky, almost sinister groove underpins Liam Shortall’s latest single, which bolts together jazz and funk to create a stormy landscape. Shortall said: ‘I’ve always loved fat bass riffs and breakbeats, so it felt like the right time to throw them together and make “Thief”. The title came from that feeling of time constantly slipping away from you, whether you notice it or not.’

Jack Brotherhood
‘Second Wind’ 

From frontman Logan Stewart’s high-pitched brogue to arena-ready indie guitars, tinges of Frightened Rabbit are shot through Jack Brotherhood. Commenting on the track, frontman Logan Stewart says: ‘Having spent years with a chronic illness that only ever seemed to get worse, I wrote “Second Wind” a few months after finally finding a medication that worked. As Scots, we're not necessarily known for our optimism, but discovering I could live a normal life unhindered filled me with endless joy and wonder, and continues to do so.’ 

Bikini Body 
‘Georgie Weaver (Don’t Try And Touch Me Mix)’ 

Punk-funk with an irrepressible dose of cowbell, this remix of Bikini Body’s 2020 tune ‘Georgie Weaver’ somehow amps up the danceability factor and makes the absurdist shouts of frontwoman Vicky Kavanagh a caterwauling delight.

Gurry Wurry 
‘The Gun Was A Quaker’ 

Oddball and undeniably catchy tunes are Gurry Wurry’s modus operandi. Described by Wurry (real name Dave King) as ‘pacifist pop’, this original take on defeat in a relationship is underpinned by old-school pop hooks and a playful bridge. Remarkably compact, it has all the hallmarks of someone with a keen ear for the art of indie-pop. 

Dovetailed
‘Kitchen’

The first single from the duo Kim Grant (best known as Raveloe) and Simon Liddell (Olympic Swimmers / Frightened Rabbit), ‘Kitchen’ is a sparse, slowburn work toying with the subtle range of Grant’s voice. The band describe it as ‘a song about friendship in the face of going through something difficult and learning how to let it pass. This one started like the other demos we made but departed quite far from its stripped back original form. We ended up adding loads of layers and textures, and didn’t hold back on soaking everything in reverb.’ 

Arab Strap 

‘You You You’

‘I’ve got a seething sadness in my soul that might just swallow me whole,’ laments Aidan Moffat in a mixture of mid-life crisis and state of the nation address, mixed with an apocalyptic disco beat and hard rock guitars from Malcom Middleton. ‘But I’ve got you you you,’ he insists in the chorus, but he certainly doesn’t sound delighted at the prospect. For true geeks of Moffat’s and Middleton’s solo back catalogues (of which I’m one), there are dashes of Everything’s Getting Older (Moffat’s SAY Award-winning project with Bill Wells) and the propulsive weight of Middleton’s A Brighter Beat era. It’s the first single from new album Half-Told Tales, which will be released later this year. 

Kenny Mgee and AKA Prince 

‘S&E’ (Featuring Crueltee)

A heavy, glitchy loop drive this montage of mad parties, tongue-in-cheek rap cliches, and Scottishisms about ‘wanking on my willy’. The production is a melee of delirious, impatient chaos, and all the better for it (and is that a Street Fighter II sound sample we hear? Kenny and Prince, let us know). 

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