Glasgow starlets bare all on compelling new track
The Ninth Wave have been at the forefront of the Scottish indie/rock scene ever since debuting in 2017, and this year has already proven to be another step forward, with the release of Maybe You Didn’t Know in July and now this second single, Piece and Pound Coins. This track sees the group push out of their comfort zone sonically, with a much more stripped-back approach compared to Maybe You Didn’t Know. Perhaps unsurprisingly given it was mixed by Max Heyes, the new track invokes contemporaries such as Editors and especially Doves, with the rolling piano line and minimalist drum beat creating a deliberately cold atmosphere underlined by Haydn Park-Patterson’s restrained but still emotional vocal performance.
This atmosphere well serves the upfront and sensitive lyrical content, which tells a personal tale of Park-Patterson reflecting on the loss of a friend and wondering what their life would be like had they still been here today. However, there is also a sense of anger in both the lyrics and the performance, as Park-Patterson recounts the reactions of certain people in the aftermath of this tragic loss (‘Death makes some people sad and some people ugly/And some people took your name for their own sake’). The song is surprisingly blunt but refreshingly honest, and credit must be given to Park-Patterson for showing such vulnerability.
Piece and Pound Coins is a short, snappy track (a little over 2:20 in length) but still manages to show both sonic versatilities within the band and genuine lyrical chops, and seems set to continue the band’s upwards trajectory towards the top of the British music scene.