No Windows are an Edinburgh based dreampop troupe of two. They’re impressively young, recent success considered, having met in high school and begun making music together fairly early on. With floating vocals from 18 year old Verity Slangen, and sometimes electronic (but always very well slotted) instrumental from 17 year old multi-instrumentalist Morgan Morris, they’ve made waves in their local musical waters of late, with attention from the likes of BBC Introducing Scotland, and are now beginning to widen their pool of impact.
Following a commendable set at Connect Festival this summer (boasting fellow lineup alumni like Franz Ferdinand and Jarvis Cocker), they released a new single, Shout (Red Song). Perhaps a little more electronic than previous material, Shout (Red Song) received praise from the likes of CLASH, Secret Meeting and The List. At the end of October, its sister arrived in the form of No Clue (Green Song), and is now receiving a similar, well earned reaction from the public!
A theme, you might be noticing? When composing and recording upcoming releases (the entire process of which occurs in Morris’ bedroom, by the way! Impressive much?), Morgan labelled each track with a colour, whichever stuck out to him as most reflective of each track, even before lyrics had been conceived. These were kept in for releases, meaning there’s a little bit of both members in the titles of these songs, a slice of their own interpretations, I suppose. A lovely touch!
No Clue is arguably calmer, perhaps more pensive, than sharp indie rock track Shout. Lyrically exploring the challenges of growing up and the entrances of new people into your life in a beautifully pieced together instrumental, the track is pretty therapeutic. A must listen for anyone at a similar stage of life, it’s going straight on my playlist! Speaking on the writing process, Verity Slangen says “When writing “No Clue”, I was entering a new stage of my life. I had just finished school and the seasons were changing. I wrote this song wanting it to be light, exploring the prospect of a new relationship and the emotions I was feeling at that time. I wanted it to feel positive – carry the energy of Spring changing into Summer while still staying true to our writing style, I wanted the melody of the chorus to feel uplifting.” Instrumentally, meanwhile, No Clue (Green Song), Morris compliments the theme perfectly. That guitar build-up before the vocals are brought in is simply stunning! As are Slangen’s ethereal vocals. A wonderful release. With regards Morgan’s reasoning behind the colour, he says “Green Song was given the name green song as it felt like it had a sense of discovery, like walking through a green, floral forest without knowing what’s ahead, which led to the name “No Clue” that exists alongside its colour label.” Quite frankly, I’m not sure I could’ve described it better myself! It does truly encapsulate the feel of romanticism and excitement associated with the end of teenagehood, whilst still summing up the uncertainty and apprehension of it all.
No Clue (Green Song) is brought to our ears in anticipation of No Windows’ upcoming debut EP, Fishboy, which is due for release on November 25th via Something. Both colour given songs will be on the EP, as well as some extra tracks for fans to devour. If their previous releases, including slightly older material like Words In My Mouth and Standing In Line are anything to go by, it will be packed full of breathtaking vocals, relatable, well-executed concepts and thrilling instrumentation. In the meantime, stream No Clue (Green Song) here.
2. Spit (Blue Song)
3. No Clue (Green Song)
4. Eggshells
5. Found Cassette
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The Broken Spine is a poetry and arts collective proudly published on the coastal edge of North-West England. Founded in 2019 by Alan Parry and Paul Robert Mullen – two school friends reunited after twenty years through a mutual love of poetry.
