The collaboration between the Scottish folk-pop icon and the Glaswegian alt-pop brothers has already proved rather fruitful before, with the massive 2024 single ‘Home’. Both have enjoyed huge success before and after that, but have since come together again not just for another single, but a whole album. Their styles mesh so well as seen by the singles released so far, and I cannot wait to hear if they keep that same vibe and quality up through a full-length release! Strap yourselves in guys and girls, this is gonna be a fun one!
The albums namesake opens things up; a simple acoustic guitar and catchy vocal line setting the pace perfectly. The rest of the instrumentation builds in amazingly, the bass drum and some slide guitar and subtle strings coming in more and more through the verse. It all then explodes fantastically into the chorus, the harmonies making it sound MASSIVE and somehow making it even more catchy than it already would have been! It gives off vibes of everything from Mumford & Sons to Dan Davidson to James Bay, that big Americana/folk-country sound that blew up a decade or so ago and has been going strong since. It’s a simple track but an absolutely phenomenal way to open the track and introduce people to the trio’s sound! Absolutely a highlight this early on!
‘Arabella’ leans even more into the band’s folk stylings, and the Scottish really shines through here immediately. The slower opening leads into a faster, infectiously catchy chorus, and the bouncy, up-tempo folk keeps up throughout. It’s a surprisingly short song at just 2:17, but packs such a punch regardless, and feels like the perfect length for the music crafted. It’s the perfect blend of old, traditional folk and a modern pop leaning, and it makes for such a fun listen. Another amazing song!
‘Milarrochy Bay’ has more of that pop-folk sound to it, almost giving off slight Ed Sheeran vibes. However, those perfect vocal harmonies in the choruses are inherently country, giving off big vibes of Parmalee or Restless Road. It’s a huge, arena-filling chorus, and one that’ll be stuck in my head for days to come. It’s another big highlight track, and one that easily makes it onto our playlist!
Things slow down a bit with ‘Happy Place’ rather needed to break down the album a little, keeping it interesting. It feels more like an anthem, more ballad-like, yet is still catchy and a lot of fun. The lyrics here are also incredible. It’s also the first track to hit the three minute mark so far, it definitely feeling like a great radio-hit. It’s just a damn good, well written song that feels impossible not to love given how many bases it hits. Another one off this release that is a must-check-out!
‘Islay’ keeps the slower pace, kinda giving me ‘Iris’ vibes, if it was more folk and more Scottish. It gives off a similar vibe to the previous song, but also reminds me a little bit of The Pogues, for some reason!
Tracks like ‘The Tide’, ‘Blood and Bone’ and ‘All Roads’ have a similar slower pace and vibe, even if the former does have the trios rather typical faster chorus. None are bad tracks at all, and are spread pretty perfectly through the album that it breaks up the pace well. However, if I didn’t lump at least a few together here somewhere, I’d repeat myself a bunch and look like a crazy-obsessed fangirl! So yeah, check these tracks out if you like some slower folk!
Of course they’ve done their own version of ‘Cotton Eye Joe’. And, of course, it kinda slaps! A slower, more folk take on the classic bluegrass track is a genius idea, and has also finally taught me the words! It fits the collaborations’ style perfectly, but also still carries the same energy as the original. It’s a song I love anyway, and this is a great take on it which is a lot of fun, and definitely worth a listen!
‘The Wedding’ has a great bounce to it, being a short but sweet track based around the (maybe slightly overused these days) Arabian Riff. Make no mistake though, this is still a great, fun song! Meanwhile ‘Drinking Song’ is so very traditional folk in the best possible ways. I love that sort of style with a modern product on it, it feeling massive alongside being written amazingly. It’s another big highlight, and another one that easily makes it onto our Spotify.
The closing track is another short, simple folky track, and draws the elements of the album together perfectly. It’s chilled-out, acoustic and light-hearted, and incredibly catchy thanks to those vocal harmonies. At barely two minutes, it’s rather indicative of the album as a whole, and all the instrumental build is so good. Definitely a pretty grandiose way to close things out!
Overall: This is a really awesome collaboration and release from start to finish! Every song is amazing in its own right, while it all flows together pretty perfectly, making for a really easy, chilled-out listen. And, as I’ve said already, the trio work so damn well together, to the point where if I didn’t know any better, I’d assume they’d always been a full band. If you are at a fan of either artist, or just a folk/Americana fan in general, this is well worth checking out. It’s not normally my sort of style, but I found myself loving it from start to finish, and will definitely be spinning it again in the weeks and months to come!
The Score: 8.5/10