‘BETWEEN THE LINES’: THE EDGY, DREAMY DEBUT ALBUM FROM GLASWEGIAN ALT-ROCK DUO SAINT SAPPHO

ALBUM REVIEW | SAINT SAPPHO – BETWEEN THE LINES by Martha Munro

It’s finally here: Between The Lines, the debut album from Tammy Dyson and Zoe Young, the daring alt-rock duo otherwise known as Saint Sappho. The couple have been releasing thought-provoking, hazy hits since 2022, but this is their first time going further than an EP. If you’re in need of a female-fired 90s Britpop renaissance (and who isn’t?) Between The Lines is the new number for you.

From the get-go, the album’s opener ‘Tomorrow’ gets across those unmistakeable 90s influences, with Britpop-perfect synth melodies crossing over with multi-drum percussion: a bucket hat full of nostalgia. The song is alt-rock rampant, but not without Saint Sappho‘s usual focal points of shoegaze haze, light and dark always mixing. At points in the track, these fusions create a bit too much sonic friction, which doesn’t represent the high quality of the rest of the album to come. But what does lift this song up is its guitar lines; they’re all grunge and energy, emanating 90s legends like Oasis and The Verve in their crowd-pleasing cruises up and down the melody.

Second track and single ‘Once Again’ is a number we got the chance to listen to earlier this year, and its conceptual brilliance overawed us. Lead vocalist and songwriter Young wrote this track after watching a documentary about an earthquake in which someone lost their partner. In all its heartfelt haziness and high stakes, the result is an epic, emotive exploration of reincarnation, existence and love. For a full review of Once Again, click here.

Following up is ‘People Like Us’, which at first sounds like it should be a track off moisturizer by Wet Leg; Dyson‘s drum rhythm just oozes that universal head-bumping hysteria and rocking groove, joined again by a gritty guitar and earthy bass. Something about the verse makes you immediately anticipate the climax of the chorus – and it doesn’t disappoint. It takes on a pop-song progression without losing the Stone-Roses-esque atmosphere in the instrumentation, demonstrating this duo’s keen, stylish ear as well as the whole album’s viscerally adventurous personality.

If you’re looking for a modern day Oasis, just have a listen to the next track ‘Slow Train’. It gets across that disconcerting feeling when life seems to be moving quickly around you while you stay in one place, just watching. The alien-like sounds that bring the song in are typical of an experimental Saint Sappho track, but when the rocking drums are reeled in and the guitar steadies the beat, it’s as if Slow Train is playing through a 90s first edition vinyl, full of the Britpop brilliance this album promised. The mixing sounds a bit off in the first verse, but this disappears completely in the climactic chorus, with both the drums and vocals constructing the melody and the guitar running rampant across the sound.

‘Shoulder To Shoulder’, an earlier single from the album, is a definite personal favourite from Between The Lines. It leans into the more indie-rock elements of the band’s sound, at points reminiscent of the likes of Fontaines D.C., and thematically it’s super engaging too; the lyrics muse on the strange distance that can emerge in even – and often especially – the closest of relationships. It’s funky, fast-paced and percussive, with Young‘s voice reaching a new level of skill, sometimes urgent and gritty, sometimes playful and lilting, sometimes soft and sensual. Everything about this song seems to gel so smoothly, never more apparent than in the euphoric chorus; you can just picture a sparkling, hazy, purple-lit dancefloor full of rhythm-drunk people taking in the music and thrashing in sync with the guitar. And with its astoundingly addictive guitar solo towards the song’s end, there really can be no complaints with this new-fave number.

‘Never Be Over’ is up next, and it immediately sounds like it should soundtrack the opening titles of an early 2000 film. It’s all garage band angst and moody rhythms, going from hard to soft at the perfect times, all the while still managing to stay true to the signature Saint Sappho alt-sound.

This well-established style shifts slightly when it comes to the following title track ‘Between The Lines’, beginning with bird song and classical piano keys. But this track, as its name suggests, encapsulates the headlines of the album, in all its pulsating primary concerns: finding truth, meaning and purpose amid the mess that is being human, a project that is both futile and furiously sought after. ‘Did you try and find the truth / And nothing’s in between the lines?’ It develops, with its heavy-set drums, building guitar, and heavenly vocal harmonies, into pure musical euphoria, making this mid-point a true summit of the album.

‘Inside A Memory’ is a love song full of brilliance, atmosphere, and of course never without a touch of Saint-Sappho-existentialism. Its sound emanates that of The Verve and even Jeff Buckley, using grit and guts to get vulnerable. A highlight of this track – and of this album – is absolutely Young‘s vocals. They were certainly never restrained before, but there’s undoubtedly a new sense of freedom, daring and evolution in her voice that’s come out in this new body of work.

The next track is also full of love, but of a very different kind; ‘Whole Again’ was written after the loss of Tammy Dyson‘s mother, and is immediately an intimate, emotive song, communicating those oddly comforting moments of simultaneous love and pain in remembering those you’ve lost: ‘It might only be a memory / That you could see her again / It might only be what you wanna see / And I don’t know if you will see.’ The style still elevates their usual rock-high, but a contemplative, delicate baseline of acoustic guitar remains – a beautiful remembrance.

‘Rewrite’ is up next and is immediately more up tempo, overtly rock-ish, and upbeat. The electric guitar has britpop written all over it, with its youthful flashes that match the lyrics’ lovestruck intensity: ‘Am I too much / Coming on too strong? / Am I too intense for you?’

Another track full of nostalgic youth is ‘Cracks’, the following track and first single released for the album. A detailed review of this reflective triumph can be found here, but in short, its hook ‘I won’t stop now / I feel too alive’ was the perfect first jump into this energetic album cycle back in September of last year.

The penultimate track ‘Back To Dreaming’ keeps to its name with a dreamy, warping synth that sets the sound off, getting louder amid spacey impacts and developing into an echo-filled dreamscape. However, it must be said that, while Saint Sappho‘s sound has never been more refined or masterful, and the album is undoubtedly an astounding debut, the progression of the songs – particularly in their choruses – can feel quite same-y at this point in the record. After such undeniably high highs, ‘Back To Dreaming’ sits comfortably in the middle.

And finally, closing Between The Lines is none other than ‘Green Door’, a reworked version of a track from an earlier EP of the same name. The inspiration for this song came from London’s once secret lesbian bar ‘Gateway,’ and the track reflects on and celebrates the freedom, safety and happiness in finding sapphic spaces like these, then and now. I must say though… I do prefer the original version. It’s a bit rougher around the edges, which is part of its appeal for me, but the remaster does fit in more smoothly with this album’s overall vibe. All in all – fair play.

You don’t always know what to expect with a debut album, but be assured that Between The Lines will turn you into a dedicated Saint Sappho supporter. Even with its ups and downs, the record has undeniable style and a unique sense of excitement and creativity in its every aspect. Written, recorded, mixed and produced at home, this album clearly proves that Tammy Dyson and Zoe Young need no bells and whistles to go with their blazing talent – they’ve got what it takes and they’re taking it.

Saint Sappho will be performing a free live in-store at Assai Glasgow on Saturday 2nd May, before taking to the Classic Grand stage on Saturday 9th May as part of our very own Northern Exposure Live. Tickets on sale now.