Photo: Rory Barnes
The long-awaited debut album from West Lothian legends The Snuts is finally out for the world to experience, and it's well worth the wait.
Avid listeners will recognise a fair few songs off the tracklist. Still, it never feels repetitive as the band breathes new life into every piece of the album, making for a brand new experience as they present to you a broader narrative.
Top Deck opens the album and pulls you in from the first chord, laying all the cards on the table. It's a bold choice for an opener, but it pays off as it chucks all doubt of insincerity out the window, establishing a deep trust in every word throughout the album. What impressed me most about W.L. is how effortlessly they've mixed different sounds, as displayed by the next couple of tunes following Top Deck. Juan Belmonte and All Your Friends are more upbeat with a deep, persisting bassline, making it impossible to sit still. Somebody Loves You feels like spring, a sweet promise of light and warmth, and melts flawlessly into Glasgow.
No Place I'd Rather Go and Boardwalk makes the excellent middle section for the album, offering a safe place to breathe and simply listen. Don't Forget It (Punk) and Coffee & Cigarettes perfectly picks up the pace and once again got you hooked with precise drums and anthem-like energy.
Sing For Your Supper is a loaded epilogue. Not only does it show the band's journey since the demo was released in 2016, but it also offers a profound closure to the lifetime of feeling bursting from every nook and cranny. W.L. is a true testament to melancholy and hopefulness alike, proudly showing off some of Scotland's finest.
Written by Eirunn Oppheim
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