Scotland has produced some incredibly talented indie bands over the past few years, with Frightened Rabbit and The Twilight Sad releasing influential albums and bands like We Were Promised Jetpacks and Admiral Fallow experiencing relative success at home and across the Atlantic. That’s without going into the incredibly talented Meursault, Withered Hand, The Savings and Loan etc etc….
Edinburgh’s Shooting Stansfield look to be the next act to join this list. Their new EP, We Know Not What We Do, features six melodic tracks driven by guitars and with focused songwriting. Without wanting to pigeonhole them, they come across as a blend of all the bands mentioned above. The opener, ‘Blue Turns Black’, could be straight off a Frightened Rabbit record, whereas the single ‘Greater or Lesser’ (which is available as a free download in exchange for your email address) is much more of a folk song, with the finger-clicking, guitar strumming sound associated with Admiral Fallow.
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This is far from a bad thing. Each of the six tracks tries out a slightly different style and tempo, providing some interesting changes of pace and keeping things interesting. Maybe the band are still figuring out exactly which direction they are going to take, but that does not mean that these songs do not stand up to the test now.
My favourite track, ‘There Are No Greater Truths’, is a slow burning song with some of the strongest writing on the EP. The song gradually becomes more immediate, with drums reminiscent of The National supporting the increasingly earnest lyrics. You get the impression that the narrator is getting more confidence in his message as the song progresses, with a quiet and unsure start developing into a louder conclusion where the lyrics and delivery are impassioned.
One of the lines stuck in my mind, an idea which I think runs through a lot of writing on the human condition (for lack of a more every day description).
’If hollow is not a normal thing then I need filling in // If emptiness comes from within, then we are struggling.’
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Upon further listens you discover that there are clever lines like this throughout the record. Meaningful, purposeful words behind the catchy tunes. I think this EP will reward repeated listens as these nuances come to the fore, and I strongly suggest you keep an eye on this band for the future.
The EP is available via the Shooting Stansfield Bandcamp page.