Scotland seems to be pumping out endless amounts of talent as of late, and THE XCERTS are without a doubt one of the shining example of this.
The title track of this rework EP ‘Slackerpop’ fuses twangy guitar choruses with surprising hectic verses, which at times catch you off guard – these elemtns together form a truly unpredictable sound, a talent in itself. Then it would seem things are turned on their head. The rest of the EP has a passionate style of music that entwines perfectly with soft guitar strums, topped with a cherry in the form of heart wrenching lyrics.
Another stand out track of the release is ‘Young’. Developing the feeling of childhood throughout, it boasts such an imaginative scope of sound – to the point of instilling a sense of unease – that it becomes a challenge to stop listening. It’s extremely rare to lose yourself so completely in music but time and again, on every track on this precursor to album three, THE XCERTS seem to effortlessly render you inexplicably captivated.
Sometimes, being gifted with such a prominent Scottish accent throughout each track can have a marmite effect, but THE XCERTS give their fans unadulterated vocal clarity, and whether you like the Scottish accent or not, you can undoubtedly enjoy every word that is sung to you.
So lose yourself, sing in a Scottish accent for half an hour and embrace what these guys have to offer.
STEPH KNIGHT