wrest - a perfectly spherical world
wrest is a Scottish indie band, making music from Edinburgh's Old Town, they are Stewart Douglas (lead vocals/guitar), Stephen Whipp (vocals/guitar), Craig Robertson (bass) and Jonny Tait (drums).
Their sound combines soaring guitars with layered lyrics and heartfelt melodies, reminiscent of bands like Frightened Rabbit, The National, Idlewild, Snow Patrol and We Were Promised Jetpacks.
Building on previous critically acclaimed projects, wrest was reborn in 2018 with the launch of debut single Adventurers, quickly building a strong local live following. Two more singles followed, with Hope Springs and Human, the lead single from debut album Coward of Us All.
Coward of Us All was launched in May 2019 and released on limited edition first press 12" vinyl in September 2019. Since the album launch, wrest have toured across Scotland and beyond, with sell-out shows in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Lerwick, Shetland.
The debut album attracted critical acclaim for the band including:
”Scotland's best new band" - Border Telegraph
“Best Scottish Album 2019" - Scots Whay Hae
“Scotland's most exciting emerging live act" - BBC Radio Shetland
”Album of the Week” - BBC Radio Rapal
In January 2020, wrest performed a sold-out show at Celtic Connections in Glasgow, the first sold-out show of the festival, before going on to sell out Edinburgh's The Mash House in February.
Their new single a perfectly spherical world is released today, Thursday 30 April, and is their first single since their acclaimed debut album Coward of Us All. The song was recorded remotely from home during lockdown by the band, and is the first track from an upcoming EP planned for a June release.
It’s a melancholic work of art, fantastic guitar riff, bass and drums set a soft initial rhythm to the track before a minute or so in the drum really picks up the pace of the track and the tone of the lyric.
It’s alternative rock woven with Celtic undertones which blends like a fine whisky into a glorious sound, think a mix of The National and Frightened Rabbit and you’re on the right tracks.
Lyrically, it sounds to me like a break up song, the opening line sets the scene “you had it all, spinning blue in a perfectly spherical world, lost cause turning tables intent to wreck it all” and later into the song we have the words “still hurts a lot, I can’t lose my mind it’s the only thing I’ve got, between walls and remembering you and everything we lost”.
a perfectly spherical world is a well crafted song, great rhythm, intelligent lyrics, delivered with confidence and real assurance in the strength of the track, it’s a real thing of beauty for me.
This tune deserves a listen and should be helped by the guys being named as Scotland on Sunday’s artist of the week in edition published 26 April. The article can be read below:
I’m going to stick my neck out with this one, their debut album was great, but if this is a sign of the future, then they are just going to explode, wrest are going places, get on the bandwagon now before there is no room.
Give a perfectly spherical world a stream now:
https://open.spotify.com/album/2p7H3NhptzVr2dpAVwKcCZ?si=pUNEbKHLSlO8hiNVZXJPWg
Wrest can be followed on Website, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter:
https://www.facebook.com/wearewrest/