Glasgow has become a musical hotbed of late, with the likes of Belle and Sebastian, Franz Ferdinand and more recently Glasvegas cutting their teeth there.

But if you scratch below the surface there are many more bands worthy of your attention and the Hermit Crabs are one such band. Fronted by Melanie Whittle, they sound similar to little known Leicester band, Po!, from the early 1990’s or the more familiar New Seekers, had they come from Scotland 40 years after they had originally appeared…

Rooted very much in the simple mid-80's indie-pop glorified by fanzines, cardigans, flower printed dresses, bowl haircuts and anoraks, The Hermit Crabs breathe additional life and beauty into their songs with the haunting use of violin, such as on opener, 'Tonight', or debut single, 'Feel Good Factor'.

Despite the gentle sound and overall tweeness of this record (handclaps appear on at least two tracks), there are some dark themes running through many of the songs, such as onthe final track, 'Soul Mate', which contains the lyrics “Can I be your mistress? Can I be your one night stand? I’ll hold the cards, I’ll have my heart” or Friend’s Folk Festival with “…and I don’t wanna have sex tonight with a boy from my work on the south side”.

In truth, the Hermit Crabs are never going to perform sell out tours, have hit records or woo the music press, but they are a positive reminder that indie-pop did not die in the late 80's, at the birth of shoegazing and grunge, but merely returned to the underground to thrive happily below the fickle pop radar.

An admirably addition to any indie-pop collection.


Track Listing