Glasgow band Attic Lights celebrate Christmas with festive single

THE outfit, who are set to release a new album in the New Year, have recorded 'Why Should Christmas Be So Hard' and is their first single on new label Elefant Records.

GLASGOW surf poppers Attic Lights have recorded a Christmas single ahead of the release of their second album next year.

The song, Why Should Christmas Be So Hard, is their first release with Spanish label Elefant Records, home to Scottish indie darlings Camera Obscura and BMX Bandits.

It’s the first new material from the band since parting company with Island Records and features on the label’s festive compilation A Christmas Gift For You... From Elefant Records, a nod to Phil Spector’s classic of the same name.

Frontman Kev Sherry said: “We are big fans of Christmas and Christmas songs in general so we were delighted when Elefant asked us to write a Christmas song. It was an attempt to get that classic Christmas feel.

“It’s about a guy trying to convince a cynical girl that Christmas is a time to relax, chill out and just enjoy it.”

They’ll follow it up with the release of their as yet untitled second album in 2013, their first since 2008’s debut Friday Night Lights after they penned a five album deal with Island.

Kev said: “Island didn’t really ‘get’ what we were doing for the second album, and Elefant really dug it. But you wouldn’t believe all the legal and contractual hoopla you have to go through with this stuff.

“We’re approaching Blue Nile territory in the gap between our album releases. We’ve got a good second album in the bag.

“As is the case with Attic Lights we write a lot of stuff but unless all five of us like a song it gets thrown away. Which means it can take us a while to piece together a full album everyone is happy with. We recorded off and on throughout 2010 and 2011 and once we had something we were all happy with we went through the process of moving from Island Records.”

Hopes were high that the Attics were set to fulfill their ‘next big thing’ status around 2008, and the band even recorded the theme tune I Could Be So Good For You for the revived version of Minder on Channel 5.

But the second of the five albums failed to materialise on Island Records and the Attics parted company from the major label.

Now the band, who are managed by Francis McDonald of Teenage Fanclub, are looking forward to getting back out on the road with their jangling guitars and sweet four part harmonies - if for no other reason than to kill off the wild rumours which sprung up from their protracted hiatus.

Kev said: “Attics were never finished. But I was surprised that people would come up in the pub with bizarre rumours that we were all suing each other. Someone even asked me if we’d been approached by a Russian billionaire to play on his yacht, and that we’d refused and he took his revenge by making it legally impossible for us to play again. Where does this stuff come from?”

The new album is due in the spring, and will be followed up with tour dates including festival performances.

Kev said: “We can’t wait to get back on the road. Next year should be pretty exciting.”