Enduringly defiant Scottish indie pioneers, Neon Waltz introduce their guitars to the groove as they return with only their second single in three years, Winner – OUT NOW on Fierce Panda Records. Matching river-deep lyricism with their studied musicianship, the band famously detailed as ‘Britain’s most northerly band’ blend their wind-lashed John O’Groats reality with sunnier climes, splicing distorted six-string storms with warm, emotionally charged lo-fi rock.

Rich with bass-driven soul and in no rush to the finish, the band leans into multi-tracked vocal harmonies, deft switches in mood and espouse the hard-won confidence they’ve earned over the last decade. Where they originally made a splash with festival stage ready cult classics such as Dreamers and Perfect Frame, every track tailormade for the singalong, the follow up to their June comeback single, Send Me Down, shows a band toying with their own increasingly adventurous, genre-splicing intent.

Recorded in Glasgow with Tom Rees (Do Nothing, Panic Shack, The Bug Club), the song’s fabrication came about in typically Neon Waltz circumstances: a small studio, working against the clock and, to ice the cake, intermittent standoffs with a busy Mexican takeaway immediately next door.

“The studio was tiny but had a good vibe, although it was right next door to a very busy Mexican takeaway, which had its obvious perks but did Tom’s head in,” says frontman and lyricist Jordan Shearer. “You could hear everything happening, both ways. I think he actually went in and asked them to turn Radio 2 off for a couple of hours. Every now and again someone waiting on their food would stick their nose up against the studio window before realising it wasn’t a shop selling vintage gear.”

Despite the chaos, Winner’s message is rooted in watching a friend pass through one of life’s cruel tests. While being grateful for not ever having been put in the same position, Shearer’s empathy shines through in a song that stands as a totem to keeping the faith, coming through and celebrating crossing the finish line.

“The song was written with a good friend in mind, who went through something pretty difficult in life that really shouldn’t need to be,” adds drummer, Darren Coghill. “Having not been in the same situation myself, I was trying to imagine their overwhelming sense of relief once it was done. The longer the struggle, the greater the reward, sort of thing.”

Winner’s release continues an exciting period of renewed activity for the band. Send Me Down, itself a reaction to the sense of adversity that had shrouded the band as they battled ever stronger headwinds, was the first studio recording from the band since the release of their second album, Honey Now, in 2023. Received by old fans and new with enthusiasm enough to propel the band into further endeavours, the single also received on air support from BBC 6 Music, BBC Radio Scotland and Radio X, alongside encouraging words from tastemakers including Clash Magazine, Live4Ever and Tenement TV.

Having tested their tolerance for excessive travel for more than a decade, driving further than any other band to repeatedly reach gigs at complete opposite ends of the UK, Neon Waltz’s current four-piece line-up is made up of Shearer (vocals), Coghill (drums), Jamie Swanson (guitar) and Kevin Swanson (guitar).

Neon Waltz’s debut album Strange Hymns, released in 2017, established Neon Waltz as one of the more distinctive breakthrough names in British melodic alternative rock, earning critical praise for its “left-field melodic beauty” (Record Collector). Influenced by artists including The National, The Band, The Walkmen and Grizzly Bear, the band have always looked beyond straightforward indie-rock structures, developing a songwriting style that places melody and atmosphere alongside accessible, inclusive immediacy.

As next summer marks ten years since the release of debut, the band can reflect on a decade that has taken them from their extreme northern base to stages and festivals around the UK, Europe and as far as Austin, Texas, before bringing them back to Scotland and the business of making more music together. As the experimental nature of Winner suggests, this time it’s all on their terms.