Edinburgh five-piece Trapped Mice will release their debut album Winter Sun on the 5th November.

With elements of the rustic tones of Okkervil River, the humour of Morrissey and some Bright Eyes style angst, this is a debut album steeped in the chilly themes of longing, confusion, and a creeping sense of dread at the slow march of “progress”, all tied up in one big melancholic noose.

This is not a throwaway album, it is not pop fizz that evaporates all too quickly, it is what we would call a proper record, carefully crafted to be more rewarding with every listen. It is thoughtful, it  is lyrical, heartfelt, sometimes sly and occasionally fragile. It is though, always intelligent.

These are songs that stand on their own as self-contained vignettes – sometimes wistful, sometimes seedy – they describe Quiet Place as “a middle-aged couple embarking on a sordid voyage of sexual rediscovery set to some kind of scuzzy avant-folk accompaniment“, and sometimes brutal – Cameraman is “A spoken word track with more death and misery! Fuck it, why not?“.

Why not indeed.

On first impressions, Winter Sun is shaping up to be a very promising record indeed. It is available via Armellodie Records, you can pre-order via Bandcamp here.

Watch the video for belting first single Mona Lisa and click through for a free download via Soundcloud below.

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