Lay Me Down provides “an amalgamation of anthemic aspects”.
In October 2023, I attended Tenement Trail, a multi-venue indoor music festival. This event hosted and showed off a huge range of talents, primarily from Scotland. One of the bands I managed to catch that day was The Rooks. As they played their hometown set in a venue called Van Winkle, it was evident from the packed out room that they weren’t a band you were going to hear about once. When I left their set, I went straight to their Instagram and was really surprised to find no released singles. Their set was energetic and included a fusion of blues and rock and roll. When they finally released details of their highly anticipated and long-awaited debut track, ‘Lay Me Down‘, it was clear that even without listening to it, that it would be a song to remember.
The Rooks are a five-piece from Glasgow who know exactly where they want to take their music but aren’t afraid to explore and experiment with styles new and old. Having built up momentum and popularity with a long list of live performances, this debut is incredibly impressive. Jim Lowe is the producer on ‘Lay Me Down‘ and who better to produce your first ever single?
Lowe has worked with some of music’s biggest names including Taylor Swift, Glen Matlock from Sex Pistols and Scottish duo Beta Waves. More notably, however, is his work with Stereophonics, including 5 of 7 albums that debuted straight at Number 1. We’ve all heard ‘Dakota‘ by Stereophonics, and the popularity of this track seems to have jumped straight into ‘Lay Me Down‘.
‘Lay Me Down‘ includes intricately placed instrumentals alongside raw and powerful vocals. In this emotional escapade, lyrics like “don’t you bother slipping away” are sang with both vigour and vibrancy. This debut is dynamically distinctive. It pushes a heavier spin on music that has become all too familiar, giving The Rooks the opportunity to omit anything that could make them sound like everyone else. Fusing influences like The Rolling Stones and The Strokes with modern acts like Stereophonics, The Rooks provide an amalgamation of anthemic aspects.
This is a track that will sound equally incredible live as it does recorded, something a lot of bands still have to master. With nearly 12k streams since its release, a lasting impression has been formed. The Rooks aren’t going anywhere, and nor should they. As far as debut tracks go, this is one that has sparked musical curiosity. Some say that they wish they were born in a different era, but then we’d miss out on undeniably unique and mesmerising musicians like The Rooks and debuts like ‘Lay Me Down‘.