Singles In Your Area is, by and large, a way of giving new, local music a voice, but it’s also a reminder of how far Scotland’s musical talent can travel. Sin Clair (the moniker of Glasgow’s Millie Kidd) is as well established in London as the central belt nowadays, while Aidan Moffat’s dulcet tones have made their way onto the Anglo-Maltese band Ġenn’s latest exercise in rock craft. On the smaller end of the scale, we’ve unearthed songs about care work, female empowerment, noshing on an ice cream sandwich, and more. Dig in and enjoy. 

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

Sin Clair 

‘Affirmations #2 / Exhale’

Millie Kidd is nothing if not busy right now, both as a touring member of The Horrors and as a member of the newly resurrected cult indie act The Ninth Wave. Her double single promises something wholly different from those two bands: ‘Affirmations #2’ is pristine glitchy electronica, while ‘Exhale’ is a spare, goth-inflected piano ballad buttressed by Kidd’s keening vocals. 

Ġenn

‘Jaguar Sun’ 

One of two ‘not quite Scottish but they’d be very welcome this side of the border’ acts we’re featuring in this month’s round-up, Ġenn are an Anglo-Maltese, Brighton-based four-piece who’ve spent a decade crafting psych-rock in the indie trenches. It looks like they might be putting their head over that parapet, as they’ve been signed to Glasgow’s Rock Action and have roped Aidan Moffat as a guest on this single. Dark and lilting, their dreich sensibility is more than a match for the Strap’s leading miserabilist.  

Redolent 

‘Funner’ 

After the lovelorn ballad ‘OK Wow’ a few weeks ago, Redolent’s latest is a pure, uncomplicated bop. Seemingly detailing life on the road and having a ‘happy attack’ while eating an ice cream sandwich, its edgy skittering beats hide an adrenaline rush of satisfying pop. 

Count Florida 

‘Last Selfie’ 

If jangle pop is a dying breed, Count Florida haven’t got the message. Their latest bittersweet song details the last selfie received by a loved one, and comes with shades of Camera Obscura and Belle And Sebastian. A distinctly charming, undeniably catchy warmth emanates from its lo-fi trill. 

Rick Redbeard 

‘Fine Remains’ 

Redbeard (perhaps best known as a member of The Phantom Band) is back with more striking alt-folk. Tinges of Americana are shot through this piece about connection and change. Redbeard claims he can imagine Gillian Welch singing this and we see what he means. It’s the first cut from his upcoming album, To The Light Return, set for release on Friday 4 December. 

Philomenah 

‘Sovereign’

Brimming with themes of empowerment, a satisfying trip-hop beat underpins this pop anthem. ‘I wrote this song to reassure myself and other women that it’s okay to have a path that doesn’t look like what we’re told to expect,’ says Philomenah. ‘That solitude can be peaceful and you don’t need to rely on being “chosen” to feel worthy.'

Hank Tree 

‘Walking To Get Lost’

Authentically beautiful guitar playing drives Hank Tree’s melancholic lyrics. This is taken from his album Care 1, a series of recollections from Tree after a decade of working in the care sector. One for people who loved the classic guitar playing of RM Hubbert. 

Lynds 

‘Meanstreak’

Leith’s own Lynds is a bit of a newcomer, but this single shows a lot of promise. Her powerful vocals have a bluesy tinge and hold a little bit of dark romance, much like this seductive tune filled with longing. Plonking it on our ‘one to watch’ list.  

Soapbox 

‘Drafted’

Always game for a laugh, Glasgow’s satirical punks are ‘buckling up’ and getting drafted for war. Pared down punk (with an intriguingly woozy middle) is the sideshow to lyricist Tom Rowan's genuinely funny lines about losing ‘a square-go to a drone’ and ‘If you dinnae fancy it, well no cunt asked ye.’ Rowan explains: ‘It’s a song about how any day, whether due to idiotic geopolitics or efforts to distract from the fact the ruling class has been caught as child-eating paedophiles, we could be sent to war.’ Fair play. 

Bye Bye Maxwell

‘Footprint’

Recorded in Edinburgh at Metro 13 Studios, the snaking structure of this dream-pop/rap mash-up is loaded with surprises. While it pogoes between styles, it only ever finds new bastions of positivity. Twinkling, hopeful stuff. 

Picture: Izzy Leach.

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