This one took me a little while. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing. What A Mess, the new album by this Scottish trio gets better with each listen. Everytime I threw it on, I would hear something I didn’t hear before: a profound phrase, a new melody, another harmony, a cool drum beat, etc. And I have a feeling that this record will continue to get better with time.


I’ll have to admit that this was my first in depth listen to the band, though they’ve released numerous other albums, eps, and splits. What A Mess threw me off a bit from the start with the acoustic intro to “Turning 30 Was An Eye Opener”, though I was pleasantly surprised that it shifted gears around the 30 second mark (not sure if this is intentional or coincidental). Either way, it sets the tone for the rest of the album. It’s an uptempo tune with some catchy parts and witty lyrics, despite lacking a chorus. In fact, it’s probably really difficult to find a chorus, in the true sense of the meaning, anywhere throughout the entire 14 tracks. I guess “I’m Sorry About Christmas Eve” has the closest thing to a chorus, though the lyrics are different. Despite this, there is no lack of melody and memorable moments. The aforementioned songs and other tunes like “The Art Of Being A Sad Sack of Shit”, “October Lied To US”, “You Deserve Better, Samantha”, among others, are super catchy via harmonies and breakdowns, as well as a little bit of whoahs and call and response peppered in.

Take one look at the track titles and it’s pretty clear that the songs are witty and well thought out. It’s hard to ignore the cunning aspect of this album with lyrics like “The only time I was thankful for double vision was when it meant that I saw more of you” and “If you caved in my fucking skull tonight, you know I really wouldn’t mind. Because it would hurt less than the way that you’re killing me right now.” And there are lots of other great examples of this. And I’ll probably hear more as I continue to listen. At times, the brogue makes it a wee bit difficult to understand the lyrics and the listener could probably gain a more profound understanding of the record with the help of a lyric sheet. But I didn’t have that luxury, which in retrospect probably made me listen a little harder (Side note: this is one of the many reasons I hate digital music).

I’m glad I picked this one up because it was a great introduction (for me) to a band that is clearly seasoned, yet still has the potential and time to grow as a band.