Wiki
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Release Date
2 April 2021
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Length
17 tracks
W.L. is the upcoming debut studio album by Scottish indie rock band The Snuts, and is set for release on 2 April 2021 through Parlophone.
The album features a total of 7 singles and the album collates the majority of The Snuts' previously released songs. "All Your Friends" was the band's first proper release on Parlophone in May 2019 and along with "Coffee & Cigarettes" appeared on the Mixtape EP. On this EP were also the songs "Boardwalk" and "Don't Forget It (Punk)", which are included on W.L.. "Elephants" peaked at number 2 on the Scottish Singles Chart upon release in June 2020 and "Always" topped the chart in December 2020, making it the last number one before the chart was discontinued. "Somebody Loves You" was released on 4 February 2021 in support of the Scottish Refugee Council.
"Glasgow" and "Sing For Your Supper" were the band's debut and third single, respectively, released in 2016. They were, however, demo versions and the versions on W.L. have been re-recorded. The new version of "Glasgow" was used in a clip to announce the album. On re-recording "Glasgow", Cochrane described it as "heartbreaking", adding "you just try to do it justice. People already loved it, so we basically just got a bottle of wine each and recorded it live to just try to keep as much of that youthful about what we were doing."
Cochrane has said that many of the tracks were written 10 years ago, when they were around 15 years old. The opening track, the stripped down "Top Deck" is one such example. "Always" is a heartfelt and emotional love song, which shows the band's creativity and progression. The next song, "Juan Belmomte" is an indie rock and roll song, named after the Spanish bullfighter. "All Your Friends" is a "new twist on a familiar social stigma around the drug epidemic that nobody seems to want to talk about". The next track, "Somebody Loves You" is similar to "Always" in that it is a heartfelt and poignant song. It was inspired after Cochrane saw the words "Somebody Loves You" spray painted across Glasgow and is about not taking the small things for granted.
"Boardwalk" is "set in a stripped back, almost melancholic atmosphere accompanied by intricate guitars and a choir of angels, it shows a more delicate side to their songwriting and shines a spotlight on Jack’s uniquely raw vocals." The following track, "Maybe California" was described as "a true statement piece, oozing indie flair and elevating the band’s fresh and authentic sound". "Don’t Forget It (Punk)" features thrashing guitars and is a comeback to bands who slated them at the beginning, as the band, coming from Whitburn, didn't fit into either the Edinburgh or Glasgow music scene. "Coffee & Cigarettes" is "a song that celebrates the simpler things in life" and harks back to garage rock. "Elephants" is a more poppy song, again showing the band's diverse catalogue, and "is about believing in your own ability in times of struggle and diversity".
The track "4 Baillie Street" refers to where one of Cochrane's friends lived in Whitburn and they would gather in his loft.
The album was produced by Tony Hoffer and recorded at The Firepit in London. However, this excludes the album's first 4 singles. "All My Friends" and "Coffee & Cigarettes" were produced by Inflo and recorded in Los Angeles. "Maybe California" was produced by Rich Costey in London and "Juan Belmonte" was produced by both Inflo and Costey, with recording split between Los Angeles and London.
The album will be available on CD, vinyl and cassette as well as on download and streaming services. The standard release will feature 13 tracks, whereas the deluxe version will feature an additional 4 tracks. There are also a further 3 tracks which are exclusively pre-order only. The deluxe version features a slightly different artwork and the CD release will come in a softpack casing, whereas the standard is in a jewel case. The cassette release will be available with four different J-card cover sleeves, a photo of each member of the band.
The album title is commonly incorrectly believed to refer to West Lothian. However, it in fact refers to 'Whitburn Loopy', with Cochran's saying "every town in Scotland has what we call young teams, but it’s basically gangs. It’s a nod to how we started out on the streets and in the forest, playing the guitar, drinking cider and stuff like that. I feel like because the record is such a progression, it’s nice to name it something that meant a lot to us back then."
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