There are times when artists neither move or inspire us, but then, as if from nowhere, that one inestimable sound emerges from the masses.
With
My Cousin I Bid You Farewell (MCIBYF] you can sit clouded in their songs for hours. It's as uplifting and infatuating as being in love
Play: MCIBYF - The Contented Hearts on the green buttonFormed and based in Glasgow, the five-piece - spearheaded by Jonathan Sellar's captivating and unforgettable voice - performed their first gig for the BBC in late 2008 and have gone on to gain a dedicated following.
The name itself is enticing; a mirage of seduction, it sparks a curiosity that makes you want to find out every detail about them.
Our featured cut, 'The Contented Hearts', is like the opening of a stadium show - you can already imagine crowds singing with drunken glee. Yet, there's a range of shy personalities in the band who shine through the music, orchestrated with huge voices and bursting hearts.
Sellar describes how his passion started: "I have been writing songs since I was 14 and I can't help it. I write them all the time. There is a deep Scottish influence in my art, the way I sing and the way I arrange songs. Everything from Midge Ure to Rod Stewart has influenced me in some way. I grew up listening to albums rather than artists."
Reminiscent of Arcade Fire with undertones of Bruce Springsteen, MCIBYF's haunting darkness adds to these influences and it just works.
On the future, Sellar says: "We are going to play a lot more and make an album. The current line-up of the band has only been together since February as it has taken me a while to find like-minded fools."
People talk about falling in love at first sight; we fell in love at first listen. UtR are now head over heels.
Discover MCIBYF for yourself at one of the following shows: 16 April:
Limbo @ The Voodoo Rooms, Edinburgh
16 May:
Cassette, Glasgow
17 June:
Captain's Rest, Glasgow
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For more blogs on the best unsigned bands in Scotland, visit Under the Radar