Aidan Moffat and The Twilight Sad's James Graham have formed new project Gentle Sinners.
The pair have known each other for over a decade, but the impetus for this new project came during the opening weeks of 2021, with Britain in the grip of its third lockdown.
The two would meet for walks in Queens Park, the lush Victorian park on Glasgow's Southside – James Graham was about to relocate to the Scottish North East, but broached the idea of working together.
"A couple of days before I left Aidan and I met up and walked around Queens Park," he recalls. "I mentioned to him I wanted to do something outside of the band but had no idea on how to go about it. I wasn’t expecting him to suggest working together, I was just looking for some advice as I’ve loved everything he’s done in his solo career."
"Hearing what he’d done inside and outside of Arab Strap, I could see that they both complimented each other and helped him exercise different ways of writing. I wanted that. I wanted to try new things, I wanted to see what else was inside me. He suggested we work together and that he had some music he could send me. I said yes straight away."
New album 'These Actions Cannot Be Undone' is the result, and it's set to be released on May 13th via Rock Action.
New single 'Face To Fire (After Nyman)' leads the way, opening with an electrifying synth riff, almost Van Halen-esque in its verbosity. Distorted electronics match the dual vocal, with Moffat and Graham going toe-to-toe on a tale of self-doubt.
James Graham recalls…
"I wrote 'Face to Fire' the night Aidan sent over the music for it, I recorded it the next day. I had written down the words “fearlessly terrified” on my phone a couple of days before. My anxiety had started to take over again – throughout my life I’ve been so scared of simple interactions with people yet I’m able to project my innermost feelings to the world on a regular basis. It doesn’t make sense to me. I’d been feeling physically ill for a few years, tired all the time and I had tried everything to feel better with no success."
Tune in now.
'These Actions Cannot Be Undone' will be released on May 13th.
Photo Credit: Gentle Sinners
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