15 years after first calling it a day, ARAB STRAP are back with a new album, new sounds and a forward-moving sense of exploration.
The pioneering Falkirk duo of Aidan Moffat and Malcolm Middleton started out sharing their home-recorded tapes between friends, but the success of their inimitable debut single ‘The First Big Weekend’ meant they quickly found themselves among some of Scotland’s most exciting and cherished music.
Their familiar deft mix of post-rock soundscapes, subtle electronics, clicking drum beats and swelling strings now combine with blasts of woozy saxophone, disco grooves and a rich immersive production that plunges you deep into the stories. As Middleton told the Guardian, “There's no point getting back together to release mediocrity.”
Back in Cardiff for the first time since reforming, Arab Strap make their debut Festival of Voice appearance on Sunday.
“A dingy, debauched and tragi-comic universe.”
NME