A Sunny Day in Glasgow – Bye Bye Big Ocean (The End)
SoundCloud
Throughout the course of a calendar year, my unnaturally small ears are introduced to a bumper crop of new artists. Plenty of which, although pleasant, never leave a lasting impression on me. There are some, however, that turn out to be freshly uncovered gems — indie outfit, A Sunny Day in Glasgow, are the latest addition to that particular group.
Their album, Sea When Absent, serves as a full-bodied and exciting introduction to the group. Its core influences obviously stem from the 90s alternative scene, but it’s not just a case of copy and paste. With blistering, bombastic choruses powered by rough shoegaze guitars carried on the wings of sweet pop melodies, it’s abundantly clear that Sea When Absent has been lovingly incubated in the womb of generation X. It’s the bands little trails of experimentation that lift the record above being another homage to that period. The multi-layering and integration of different levels, tones, textures and occasionally tempo create a much more dimensional canvas to work with. Throw into the mix a catalog of studio-tricky production tweaks, subtle but effective synth motifs and more, and you soon find yourself with an audible onion ready to have its layers peeled away. Furthermore, the content that lies on the very surface (in particular the bands sense of melody) is immediate, effective and at times ridiculously catchy.
A Sunny Day in Glasgow’s formula isn’t perfected — what is offered up here has it’s rough edges and it feels like there’s still plenty of potential to tap into. Despite having room to grow, its presence is big enough to mark it out as one of the years most exciting surprises.
