Unnecessary Drama, Scottish indie darlings Belle and Sebastian’s comeback single, was an apt title. What’s this? A crunching guitar riff, pacey beats and a wild squall of harmonica? Seven years since their last album, have the world’s meekest band finally acquired some teeth?
Yes and no. This is the septet’s longest gap between albums – not that they’ve been resting. In the seven years since Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance hit the top 10, there has also been a soundtrack album to the suburban comedy film Days of the Bagnold Summer, three EPs, a live album, weekly guided meditation sessions with bandleader Stuart Murdoch and their own mini-festival on board a Mediterranean cruise ship. But the extra time afforded by the pandemic allowed them to ditch a planned recording trip to Los Angeles and remain in Glasgow, with Murdoch soaking up new ideas on long lockdown walks across the city.
