[Cover photo credit to Zak Pinchin]
Alternative three piece The Xcerts have announced their new track “Blame”, taken from their upcoming album Learning How To Live And Let Go, out August 18th, 2023 via UNFD. The band have also released a self directed one-shot, one-take live vocal video for the track.
“Blame” was born out of the band’s self-described “3 piece chemistry” in their rehearsal room, and stands out as the only non-studio penned song on the album. Laura-Mary Carter from Blood Red Shoes also lends her vocals to the track.
Speaking on the track, frontman Murray Mcleod explains:
’Blame’ is the most quintessential XCERTS song on the new record. It was important for us to look back but push the boundaries of what, in essence, is quite a simple pop song. The majority of the new record was written in the studio, but we crafted this one in the rehearsal room and I feel like you can hear the ‘3 piece’ chemistry and urgency within the recording. It’s a song about accountability and no longer looking for a scapegoat when things go wrong, and realising I’ve really hurt people in the past with my thoughtlessness. I was once told ‘if you can’t spot the dickhead in the room, it’s probably you’. I guess it’s our first (hyper) self-aware song lyrically.
Reflecting on the album itself, Murray shares:
We knew we wanted to approach this album differently in regards to the recording process. Each album we’ve made in the past has been extremely traditional but this time round we wanted to engulf ourselves in the studio environment and work without limitations. It was definitely time for us to shake things up and feel a certain level of discomfort in order to achieve our vision. We didn’t want to rest on our laurels. We spent a year working closely with our friend Steven Graham Ansell in his studio, which became our sanctuary. Each day was so inspiring as we had no idea where these ideas would take us. Working without fear for the first time proved to be so rewarding.
The Xcerts consist of frontman Murray Macleod, bassist Jordan Smith and drummer Tom Heron and released their debut album In The Cold Wind We Smile in 2009 and have released four albums to date, including There Is Only You (2014) and Hold Onto Your Heart (2018).
