I recently discovered a new, little-known band on a Spotify playlist and have been hooked ever since. They only have a small EP, as of yet, so not many songs are available to listen to; however, I am deeply enthralled in Scottish band The 101, and here’s why I think you should should be too.
The 101 are a relatively new indie-pop/funk band from Aberdeen, Scotland. Since their formation in 2015, the five piece band has slowly found a decent following in Scotland and internationally.
Composed of students Dexter Fawcett, Ross Buchan, Matthew Read, Cameron Stephen and Nick Cameron, the band has shared the stage with many prominent artists like The Little Kicks, Tom Odell and Fickle Friends which has lead to a growth in popularity and a sell-out gig in Aberdeen. Their self-titled debut EP The 101 scored a massive 20,000 streams and 300 downloads.
The band takes its inspiration from others such as Two Door Cinema Club, The Strokes and Daft Punk; these influences can definitely be heard throughout their EP. For me the band is reminiscent of the good sounds of the indie bands of the 00s with the likes of The Drums springing to mind. Yet, this band also seems irrevocable modern in today’s changing world.
Their lyrics are relatable, memorable and easy-going with a good flow. We would recommend listening to them before you go out for the night as their bright, funky and fresh style immediately peps you up and gets you in the mood to dance. Their sound is quick and unique with beautiful harmonies, the rhythms feel familiar and immediately find a place in your soul. Each song could easily be anthem material.
Their self-titled EP contains four tracks. The first track “Carefree Normality” introduces us to a catchy, upbeat world. As we continue to the second track “Someone Else“, the pace slows and darkens a little to open up about an apparent heartbreak which seems all-knowing and slightly sassy with a gorgeous guitar solo towards the end of the song.
The penultimate song “Not You but Me” looks back at the earlier heartbreak and the lead singer questions his actions, blames himself for the split and asks to know the reasons why it all happened. This track is again catchy and you may find yourself tapping your foot to the infectious melody.
The track “Statues” closes the album and sees us begging for more of this new and exciting band, we hear the singer again emotional about a previous love and how “people like [them] can never be replaced“.
Personally, I like their music because it isn’t typical ‘pop’, today’s music is heavily manufactured and engineered to make big money, so much so that the soul of the artist is often distorted. The 101 are different, they are raw and have their own style and I hope that when they do find the international fame they deserve, they will stay close to their unique roots.
As with many musicians, ‘heartbreak’ is hot to be used as their muse and they use it very well and managed not to make it just another ‘heartbroken album’. I would love to know more about the band history and the lives of its members as not much information is available online.
I highly recommend taking the time to sit down and listen to their first EP and I expect to hear a lot more from them soon, so jump on their bandwagon before they take off and leave without you! 2018 is set to be a groundbreaking year for the band and could see them shoot into the highest places in the music industry.
Keep tabs on The 101 on Facebook, and Twitter, and purchase their self-titled debut EP on iTunes here.
Words by Dualtagh McDonnell
