No windows

“"if their early output is anything to go by, No Windows could be a generational talent.” - The Line Of Best Fit

"Wholly developed, cleverly considered, and sonically reverent – welcome, No Windows."  - So Young

"inquisitive alt-pop with a dogged DIY aesthetic" - CLASH

Today, the Sound Of Young Scotland award-winning Edinburgh duo, No Windows – made up of 18 year old multi-instrumentalist Morgan Morris and 19 year old vocalist Verity Slangen – have returned with details of a new EP titled “Point Nemo”. The announcement is accompanied by the news of the band’s signing to Fat Possum Records who will release the EP on 3rd May.

Taking its name from the location farthest away from land in the world, the five track EP evokes wintry isolation, and marks a significant step forward for the duo, taking inspiration from the expansive sound-worlds of Elliott Smith and Cocteau Twins, their Scottish peers Cloth and Jacob Alon, and a shared musical curiosity that is all their own.

The effortless musical chemistry of No Windows comes from the tight relationship at its core. Verity and Morgan met as young teenagers at school in Edinburgh, after Morgan came across Verity – in the year above – who shared videos online of her singing. They quickly established a friendship and an artistic bond, with Verity adding her emotionally charged lyrics to Morgan’s bedroom recordings. In December 2022, their debut EP Fish Boy was released; a public introduction to their strong songwriting and intricate, fuzz-pop arrangements that earned them a spot in last year’s NME 100 list, and plaudits from the likes of So Young, CLASH, The Line Of Best Fit, The Skinny, The List, and Secret Meeting, as well as live appearances in The Great Escape’s First Fifty and the 2022 Connect festival.

Over a year later, Morgan and Verity are pushing their artistry forward. “Fish Boy was our first experience of putting together a body of work,” explains Morgan. “With ‘Point Nemo’ we’ve gained a lot of confidence and knowledge. I think we improved on a lot of the basics as well: structuring songs, stronger melodies.” Morgan’s production has also evolved significantly: the songs sound bigger and denser, with multi-tracked backing vocals, unexpected counter-melodies, tape delay, and field recordings.

The first taste of this evolution comes in the form of the new EP’s lead single “Song 01”. Characterised by swelling backing vocals and a distinctive melodic bassline, the EP’s lead single “Song 01” is a meditation on loss inspired by Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes, a novel about a man who faces ostracisation after a failed medical experiment. The track is a notable leap forward for the band enhancing and expanding on the woozy, densely layered sound that has earned them so much early critical acclaim.

The single is also accompanied by a stunning and dramatic new video shot in the Lake District with Humble Film Productions.

“I have always been drawn to books focusing on isolation and what it is like to be outed from social groups,” says Verity, who also cites I Never Promised You a Rose Garden by Joanne Greenberg and Requiem for a Dream by Hubert Selby Jr. “The book emulates desperation and dread so perfectly. The song is written about that feeling, knowing that you are going to lose something when it’s all you have. Writing it opened me up to a whole new way of writing lyrics.”

With a mature, reflective eye, Verity’s lyrics examine changes in relationships and emotions as reflected in nature. “Lyrically, it’s very bleak and cold,” she says of the EP. “It’s about that transition from summer into winter and trying to face the isolation that winter brings. The cycle that I have through the year is quite a significant one.” On the EP opener, “Zodiac 13”, she compares the doubts and isolation of a waning friendship to the anticipation of the colder months – resulting in a reflective souvenir of a time when she felt this way: “I don’t feel the same way that I did when I wrote it, so it’s really nice to be able to see the way I have changed.”

In a notable change for the duo, “Point Nemo” saw them writing together in the same room for the first time, leading to an even stronger cohesion between the two elements. “Before, I’d record the whole instrumental before Verity would hear it,” explains Morgan. “We convinced ourselves that was the only way we could write songs. Then we wrote together and it was way better: the way the song moves musically tends to align with the lyrical themes, which is a really cool thing and we never plan it. Writing together has been a huge change to how the songs turn out.” The resulting song “Fibbs” is perfect guitar-pop, sweetened by drops of synthesiser and the pair’s close-knit harmonies.

The EP is also their first time introducing an outside producer into the fold: Ali Chant (Dry Cleaning, Sorry, Yard Act, Aldous Harding, Soccer Mommy, Youth Lagoon) who mixed the album with Morgan and Verity in his Bristol studio. “That was our first time passing on an element of control to someone outside of us,” says Morgan, who admits he and Verity are both “massive fans” of Ali’s previous work. “There was an interesting balance: we were quite clear on what we wanted and he was amazing when it came to realising that, but he also added elements that I wouldn’t have thought of.”

These steps forward bode well for the next chapter of the band, bolstered by their October 2023 win of the coveted Sound of Young Scotland Award at the annual Scottish Album of the Year (SAY) Awards. Chosen by a panel of previous SAY nominees, the award represents a key co-sign from the Scottish music community, alongside mentoring, studio time and vinyl pressing.

2024 is set to be an important year for No Windows, with the release of “Point Nemo”, their first video release, and live appearances including The Great Escape and their debut Glasgow headline show at the legendary King Tuts venue. The most important work will be going on behind the scenes though, as Verity and Morgan continue to evolve their sound and make good on their significant artistic promise.