Add to playlist: Acolyte slow dope and the best new tracks of the week | music

from Edinburgh
Recommended if you like Dry Cleaning, Massive Attack, Nick’s Cave
the next “Warm Days in December” is out now, and a new EP is scheduled for release in early 2026

As a fixture in Edinburgh’s arts-turned-performance scene, Acolyte’s strange, earthy psychedelia is as likely to be found onstage at the Traverse Theater as it is in the steamy-windowed brew of Leith Walk. Swirling basslines and poet Iona Lee’s velvety, powerful voice conjure a sense of slow hypnosis – and just like their music, Acolyte are charmingly unhurried. They’ve released only a handful of songs in the seven years since Lee and bassist Ruairid Morrison first began experimenting with jazz, trip-hop and spoken word, but now the group (with Danielle Hale on percussion and Gloria Black on synth, also known for throwing paper-clothed fantasy club nights with her former band Maranta) is picking up the pace.

Working with Lost Map, the energetic indie label run by Pictish Trail from his caravan on the island of Eigg, Acolyte have released two singles this year and promise to release a long-awaited EP in early 2026. Warm Days in December, which dropped earlier this month, pairs a sleepy, drunken instrumental with a funk-inspired groove built from pounding drums and a bass horn. But Lee’s apocalyptic words about climate breakdown beat the heat: “I was thinking about the seasons,” she says angrily. “I’ve been thinking about how young people don’t live long.”

Like its predecessor The Blue Dark (a shuddering campfire tale told with devilish strings and ferocious cymbals), Warm Days comes with a more sublime remix (this time from EHFM regular Ravelston) that plays straight into Acolyte’s elegant and sinister worldbuilding. Katie Hawthorne

The best new songs of the week

Janavia – It’ll Be Better (with Sam Amidon)
Folk-pop with a warmth of 15 degrees, as Indian-American singer Janaviya collaborates with American folk artist Amidon – her unusual vocal lines, surging like a growl, fit perfectly into this story of angst. BPT

Duendita – single nominative
Like sunlight glinting through dark clouds, in just 84 seconds, the New Yorker’s synths, drums and bass soar into a meditative, hopeful gem: “I Feel Love Again.” L.S

Ruthven – Precognition
“I’m the worst man, it’s true!” This boast is justified by the funk revivalist’s latest single, which has a touch of Daryl Hall in his vocals, delivered over a trippy groove. BPT

Modern Nature – Shasta
“Turn right at the canyon/Take it slow,” advises this dappled, delicate warmth of indie rock with shades of Yo La Tengo, written while frontman Jack Cooper was driving through Northern California. L.S

Samara Sen – What will they say
The only woman in this year’s “freshman class” of new rap talents as selected by Hip-Hop Bible XXL, the Los Angeles MC pushes back against political apathy and fear of speaking out, surrounded by a sparkling, classic soul. BPT

poly – send
With Factory Floor reunited, it’s not as if we need dupes for their haunting industrial techniques, but this sinister trio from south London com. sprechgesang And Fritz’s condensation makes them worthy of comparison. L.S

Variables – where the light leaves
The blasting beats don’t get heavier or more precise than those powering the Philadelphia metalcore band here, shaking every ounce of air as band leader Skyler Conder steadily roars through them. BPT

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