Artillery Saints Bring Cinematic Detail and Dark Wit Together on ‘Glimpse’
Artillery Saints steps forward with ‘Glimpse’, an ambitious new album from Scottish musician Ally McKenzie that continues to refine the project’s distinctive avant pop identity. Set for release in 2025, the album builds on earlier successes while opening new creative directions.
McKenzie’s background includes time in the 1990s indie scene with Fly and later electronic work with Cities People And Parks. After lockdown, his creative spark was reignited when he noticed an Epiphone guitar displayed in a shop window. That moment led him back to songwriting and production, gradually incorporating bass, synths, and Ableton Live into a renewed artistic process that became Artillery Saints.
The album’s first offering, ‘Control & The Cousins’, sets the tone with a fictional narrative centered on a rock band navigating the music industry. The song’s perspective is delivered through the lyric,
“To get to the stage we had to sneak through the back door.”
Musically, the track balances hypnotic bass, minimal synths, jagged guitar accents, and a haunting chorus that underscores its storytelling focus.
‘Glimpse’ unfolds across eleven tracks, maintaining the twisted pop and darkly comic lyricism associated with earlier albums ‘Maneki-Neko’ and ‘Fixed Grin Of A Wallpaper Star’. The record pushes further into electronic territory, blending futuristic sounds with organic textures such as woodwinds, ambient flourishes, and jazz inspired elements.
Highlights include the lyric free opener ‘High Rise Sun Tribe’, the surreal and rhythmic ‘Jelly Legs’, the melodic yet narratively complex ‘Hick In Suburbia’, and ambient explorations ‘House Mother Console’ and ‘Glister’. Each track contributes to an album that feels cinematic, cohesive, and emotionally resonant.
Home recorded and meticulously crafted, ‘Glimpse’ presents Artillery Saints at their most focused, offering listeners an immersive journey shaped by imagination, texture, and a confident artistic voice.
