Glasgow-based indie rock band The Ninth Wave have returned with their first new music in four years, releasing their latest single, ‘Bitumen’.
The track marks the beginning of a new chapter for the band, who have also signed to Rock Action Records, the independent label founded by fellow Scottish band Mogwai.
Their latest release is the first since their second album Heavy Like a Headache, and sees the group take a different approach to their sound.
Moving away from the synth-heavy production and drum machines that featured prominently in their previous work, ‘Bitumen’ embraces a more stripped-back style, with all four members performing together live in the studio.
The song opens with the mellow strumming of an acoustic guitar, soon joined by the beating of drums and the intertwined voices of guitarist Haydn Park-Patterson and bassist Amelia Kidd.
It builds to a heavier indie-pop chorus, complete with loud electric guitars, firmer drums, and even a short guitar solo, before fading out again, returning to a softer sound for the next verse.
While ‘Bitumen’ might not be doing anything particularly groundbreaking, it does the basics of a good indie-pop song very well. It’s catchy, easy to listen to, and the combination of both vocalists adds a really nice dynamic throughout.
Recorded during the summer of 2026 at Black Bay Studio on the remote Hebridean island of Great Bernera, the single was produced alongside long-time collaborator Dan Austin, who previously worked with the band on their debut album Infancy.
The track explores the uncertainty of relationships and the difficulties of second-guessing another person’s feelings, while maintaining the dark and emotive sound that helped establish the band’s following.
The band recently supported Primal Scream at a sold-out gig in the legendary Barrowlands Ballroom in Glasgow on Saturday, 5 September.
The band have also teased headline dates for spring 2027, with further details expected to be announced in the coming weeks, after co-headlining the Tenement Trail in Glasgow just last month.
Check out ‘Bitumen’ on Spotify here.