EDINBURGH’S ATTIC DAYS RELEASE DEBUT EP ADMIST LIVE HIATUS

SELF-TITLED, FOUR-TRACK EP EXPLORES ATTIC DAYS JOURNEY SO FAR | BY MORGAN HERMISTON

Edinburgh five-piece ATTIC DAYS announced last year that they would no longer be performing live for the foreseeable future. While they shocked their dedicated fanbase with this news, they did follow this up with the announcement of their debut EP. The self-titled musical collection consists of four tracks that explore their journey as a band so far.

SECRETS, recorded with Mark Morrow, is the first track you’ll hear when you press play and is the track I was most looking forward to. I could write an essay about how much I love this song, but for the sake of this review, I had to try and refrain. If you were lucky enough to catch Attic Days live then you probably heard ‘Secrets’. Following a slower melody than their other tracks, it is a song that retains not resentful, but sentimental notions. The lyrics paint a peaceful picture, “I had a dream last night, and you were there”. This is followed up by “it was a face I knew, but not from where”. Each line is brought to life by Kirstie Maclean whose vocals are equally as dreamy as the words she sings. Another line that stands out to me is “I wish I could’ve said goodbye, watch your wings soar as you learn to fly”. It is a line that is beautifully vocalised and there are so many different connotations that can be associated with it.

‘Secrets’ tells a familiar tale of not recognising someone we should know. However, the creativity regarding how Attic Days construct the lyrics makes it a song everyone can apply their individual instances to. The chorus, “I still know your secrets well, I hope you climb the stairwayvout of hell” adds to the versatility of the track. Perhaps it’s because of these “secrets” that you don’t recognise this other person. Regardless of if, or how, you interpret the lyrics, it’s a song that ends too soon. With its addicting sound, it will be one you definitely return to.

Joining Kirstie ’s addicting and silky smooth vocals throughout this EP are two guitarists, a drummer and a bassist. Guitarists Rory Bayne and Ruariadh Rattray alternate with guitar solos, something else that makes Attic Days unique from other modern and local acts. Seeing this switch between guitarists live was also really intriguing, you rarely knew who was going to play each solo so it gave audiences more to watch. Ruariadh also provides harmonising vocals in some of the tracks. Both Kirstie’s and Ruariadh’s voices compliment one another, further captivating listeners. Securing the steady foundation for each track are drummer Alfie Smith and bassist Murray Brown who provide a brilliant base to build each track upon.

After you think you’ve taken in everything ‘Secrets’ has to offer, three more equally as compelling tracks come up next. ‘Trying To Please’, ‘Happy Sad’, and ‘After You’ are the three singles from this EP. While they are each lyrically unique, they share similar concepts of love and relationships as well as sharing the portrayal of Attic Days’ innate writing abilities. ‘Trying To Please’ discusses sometimes letting an element of vulnerability show in front of a certain person, and trusting them. The repeated lyric “ now you’ve got me, placed in the palm of your hand ” is one of many expertly penned lines that accompany the catchy, dance infused melody. ‘Happy Sad’ follows a similar approach in terms of the captivating tempo and upbeat sound. However, this track asks questions without giving answers. “Can you really love someone but not yourself?” and “are you trying to forget there’s something more?” all ask questions to seemingly nobody in particular but they do still make you think. This approach is quite unique and makes it admirably abstract from other tracks.

Final single on this self-titled EP, ‘After You’, is also Attic Days’ first ever single. Released in 2022, it began the noticeable and continuous path that the group have progressed down with the production of each subsequent track. It’s bright and airy feel is refreshing to listen to and also features similar themes to the previous two tracks. ‘Attic Days’ self-titled debut EP is one that I, personally, will return to often. The indie-pop feel that the group have made their signature sound takes you on a trance with mesmerising melodies and heartfelt harmonising. They have such an enthralling essence when it comes to their music and you can’t help but want to listen over and over again.

BY MORGAN HERMISTON