Artillery Saints emerges with a refined and expansive vision on ‘Glimpse’, the forthcoming album from Scottish musician Ally McKenzie. Scheduled for release in 2025, the project represents a meaningful evolution in sound, drawing together years of musical exploration into a focused artistic statement.
McKenzie’s journey includes formative years with indie group Fly in the 1990s and later electronic experimentation through Cities People And Parks. After lockdown, a simple moment of inspiration, spotting an Epiphone guitar in a shop window, reconnected him with the creative process. Returning to songwriting and production, he gradually expanded his toolkit to include bass, synthesizers, and Ableton Live, shaping the identity of Artillery Saints.
‘Control & The Cousins’, the album’s lead single, captures the project’s narrative approach. The song portrays a fictional band moving through the structures of the music industry, expressed with understated humor and clarity. The lyric,
“To get to the stage we had to sneak through the back door.”
anchors the story, while hypnotic bass, restrained synths, abrupt guitar phrases, and a haunting chorus create an immersive atmosphere.
Across eleven tracks, ‘Glimpse’ builds upon the twisted pop sensibility and blackly comic lyricism found on ‘Maneki-Neko’ and ‘Fixed Grin Of A Wallpaper Star’. The album leans toward a distinctive electronic sound, enriched by cinematic textures and organic elements such as woodwinds, ambient layers, and jazz influenced details.
Notable tracks include ‘High Rise Sun Tribe’, a wordless opener with quasi classical influence, and ‘Jelly Legs’, where layered rhythms and saxophone textures accompany a story of parallel worlds. ‘Hick In Suburbia’ offers melodic contrast, while ‘House Mother Console’ and ‘Glister’ explore ambient experimentation.
Recorded at home with technical polish, ‘Glimpse’ reflects McKenzie’s ability to merge emotion, humor, and atmosphere into a cohesive album that invites listeners into a vivid and imaginative sonic world.
