Four years of hard graft and guitar, not to mention hugely challenging lockdown restrictions will bear some real fruit for dedicated Dumbarton band Red Hearted Vibrations this weekend.
The five-piece band, comprising siblings Steven and Laura Nelson, brothers Craig and Graham White and Ewan Driver will celebrate the release of their debut album, Storms on the Wildfire Mountain which comes out in physical form on Sunday (November 7).
The 13-track debut album has been carefully crafted over the last four years.
Each song captures the band across this period covering topics of grief and recovery, relationships, breakups, parenthood, mental health awareness and optimism for future ventures following the Covid-19 pandemic.
The digital stream and download will be available on December 3. And on that night, it will be showcased at a charity gig, which is being held, at Dumbarton’s Waterside Inn.
Craig admitted they had to work round the pandemic challenges to help complete the album.
He said: “We got together ourselves to finish some songs we had started pre-lockdown. Three of the songs we worked on ourselves and pulled them together.
“Some of it was sent to each other on dropbox and one of our friends helped pull it together, which meant we didn’t have to go back to the studio and finish it which was good. It worked out well.”
Personal experiences, Craig said, helped influence many of the songs.
He said: “If it wasn’t for our little studio, we might not have been able to pick it back up again. We tried to write a bit but it took a while to get back into it. All we could do is write lockdown songs and try and put a positive spin on it as we are all feeling pretty down which is reflected in a few of the songs.
“One of the songs, This Is the End was written when we were all locking down and the first verse is about everything shutting down and in the chorus we talked of better days ahead.”
The band also wrote a song about Frightened Rabbit singer and founder Scott Hutchison, Selkirk Boy, who died three years ago.
He said: “We’re all huge fans of his music and he spoke to a lot of people, myself and the band included with what he said. It was tough for us when he died. The lockdown has taken a huge toll on my mental health.”
Some songs were also written to document the loss of Craig’s dad.
He said: “I didn’t do much music after he died, I just got stuck into nine to five. But the first couple of songs I wrote after that with Steven were Circles and Storms and they were about dusting yourself down, shaking things off and getting back on track.”
Added Craig: “We are very happy with how it has all turned out. Bands like Fleetwood Mac, Biffy Clyro, the Smiths and Morrisey have a big influence on us. But we really love playing and jamming and will never take things for granted again.”
