Glasgow’s 5-piece rock band The High Flats are back and this time, it’s with their new single “Turn It Up”.
If you don’t know about The High Flats, they claim that their influences come from the likes of Oasis, TheBeatles and The Stooges, among others – which in my book, pretty solid.
The artwork is covered in a style of newspaper and magazine cuttings, something I’m a big fan of, brings a feeling of nostalgia, especially for me (anyone else here a millenial who used to cut up their magazines for their art homework?) – and it just brought back a nice fuzzy feeling.
They’re still quite a new band, with their debut coming out in September 2024, with “Turn It Up” being their forth official single, you know what they say, three’s a charm (apparently) so what do we think?
You’re immediately met with this sound that just feels familiar, almost like the helicopter sounds from “(What’s The Story) Morning Glory” by Oasis, this isn’t helicopters or a copy of course, then booms over this powerful voice like a tannoy, which threw me off a bit, but it does make you listen.
There is a nod to their home city of Glasgow, but it’s not actually in it’s best light, turns out it’s voicing a quote which has been attributed to Friedrich Engels in his book, “The Condition of the Working Class in England.”
A very clever move that immediately hooks you, but then it all goes off.
An impressive guitar solo then takes over, bringing the energy to new levels and just bringing your interest to another level – it’s quite liberating.
The vocals are quite soft for the genre of this music, for me personally, but Scott’s vocals are very smooth and hit the spot, I think he needs a little bit more space to breathe and show off, as the instrumental is a little overpowering.
That said, the backing track is very good, it’s easy to listen to, is a fun tempo and is quite motivating, something I’d listen to in the gym or if I need a boost.
They do ease off a bit towards the end, slowly bringing it down, but without you noticing, like the rollercoaster is coming to an end, but you have no idea, because they’re purely just going for it, then all of a sudden, you hear this long twang that makes you think “what?!” and it’s over!
Not really abruptly as such, but enough for you to think “lets do that again!!” – which is a real positive.
As I said, the only thing I’ll say is, give the vocals a bit more forefront, then you’ll have nailed it, I’d also love to hear a slower feel to the band as I think they have the talent to do it.
I really enjoyed this track, it’s got some unique features that highlight their roots, shows off their musicianship and generally gives me a good vibe, a fantastic track.
CHECK OUT WHAT THE HIGH FLATS ARE UP TO HERE
FIND MORE GLASGOW BANDS ON RGM RIGHT HERE