Like Aberdeen FC, The XCERTS should be much bigger than they are. If there was a pound created for every time the universe has heard this sentiment, we would all be swimming in pounds.
The XCERTS began in Aberdeen 25 years ago, and i think i want to go home now is the band’s sixth studio album. It’s produced by Larry Hibbitt of Hundred Reasons, which makes more sense than 2 plus 2 equalling 4.
On ‘i think I want to go home now’ frontman Murray Macleod repeats the track/album title like someone trapped inside a pub and their own regrets, his vulnerability enhanced by the demo-like quality of the track, in which the piano pedals are as loud as his vocals. ‘do it to myself’ begins with a shimmering single chord à la The Walkmen’s classic ‘Rat’. “I wanna jump inside your heart / So I can safely fall apart,” sings Macleod like a Californian emo hovering outside a house party, chains hanging from his jeans and the buds of tears in his eyes. Indeed, the track may as well be called ‘the summer of 2001’. If you’ve always wondered what Radiohead’s ‘Just’ would sound like if it was performed by Blink-182, then wonder no further.
‘wow’ would have been the perfect B-side to Feeder’s ‘Buck Rogers’. It shifts from semi-acoustic to all-out distortion on the chorus, and not for the last time (if you’re a certain age), you’ll be wishing you were 18 again and drinking cider from a lemon at a festival without the fear of your wincing face being shared on social media. The start of ‘sinking feeling’ is very reminiscent of – wait for it – Feeder’s ‘Buck Rogers’, which we have already established is a good thing. It has another banger of a chorus that’ll have you swearing on all lives that you’ve heard it before. ‘bury you’ is another heavenly early 2000s-like indie pop bop and an almightily cheery pick-me-up. “Don’t let it bury you” is a message of resilience that’s particularly welcome in 2026, especially when it’s matched to a melody as catchy as coronavirus.
“Tired of living like I can’t function,” Macleod moans on ‘rinse repeat’ – an anthem as maudlin as Linkin Park. “I cover you in flowers so you feel beauty again / In the hope that my dumb heart will engulf your pain.” I’m not crying, we’re crying. Of the band’s latest single ‘pretty ugly’, Macleod says: “It takes a swipe at people who were criticising the band during a period when my family was going through a lot…The second verse is about my father and what he was going through after his cancer diagnosis.” Bassist Jordan Smith has recently been made to endure the passing of his mother. Three quarters of the way into ‘pretty ugly’ the track almost becomes death metal, and features some wonderfully incongruous primary school chanting.
Like ‘Feels Like Falling In Love’ from the band’s fourth album Hold On to Your Heart, ‘dream you in’ has the chiming beauty of your standard 1975 or Bleachers track. “Do I still make my parents proud?” Murray asks on the quiet-loud ‘losing it’, his Aberdeen accent sneaking through like a Scottish Cup final win on penalties. (As an Aberdeen FC fan, I’m thrilled to learn that the band’s song ‘Kick It’ is played at halftime during home matches at Pittodrie. My loyalty to the same football team has nothing to do with my appreciation of i think i want to go home.)
‘breathe in what was’ gallops along like The Cure at their most bright and breezy, though with the fuzz and angst of My Vitriol. The first half of ‘in your eyes’ is as gentle, restrained, and gorgeous as The Paper Kites’ ‘Shake Off The Rain’. “This isn’t goodbye…This is I love you forever” is then repeated over a squall of nu-gaze noise. Whether you punch the sky in triumph or clutch your aching heart is up to you. However, you must tell everyone you know that The XCERTS should be much bigger than they are. If there was any justice in the world, Starmer would be in The Hague and The XCERTS would be on the Pyramid Stage.
i think i want to go home now is out now on FLG
The XCERTS live:
15th July – Edinburgh – Assai (in-store show, 5:30pm)
16th July – Aberdeen – Assai (in-store show)
1st August – Arbroath Music and Food Festival
16th October – Leeds – Stylus ^
17th October – Birmingham – O2 Institute 2 ^
18th October – Newcastle – Boiler Shop ^
20th October – London – Islington Assembly Hall ^
21st October – Manchester – Gorilla ^
22nd October – Glasgow – SWG3 Galvanizers ^
^ in support of Twin Atlantic
The XCERTS: Facebook | Instagram | YouTube
Review by Neil Laurenson
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