Dan Hillier
Squiggles is the musical project courtesy of Niall McCamley, previously the drummer of the now sadly defunct The Spook School. As those loyal to the national alt-punk scene will undoubtedly know, the Glaswegian band where a collective that lovingly championed concepts of trans rights, self-care and ardent inclusivity through their lush melodies prior to disbandment in 2019. It’s these inherent core traits that lie as the crux of Squiggles’ new EP Look What We Have Done, a record that’s designed to be the rallying point of a community dedicated to the empowering positivity of music – something far removed from the negative connotations of what stereotypically stands as a cult.
And positive and empowering it is. Across the four tracks that compose the record, McCamely channels a focus on inclusiveness that’s nuanced by lyrical themes of regret, identity and marching into an uncertain future with good company. All of this is immediately established with the self-prophetising ‘This Is A Wake Up Call’. Resonating the bedroom indie-punk sound that was synonymous with The Spook School, the track is a lo-fi contemplation of where one goes in life that’s driven by McCamley’s charmingly untrained vocals, flexible indie-punk melodicism and a strong sense of highly required optimism. The more jauntier, fuzzed out ‘We Only Came Here For Your Hearts’, continues in this sense, providing what’s easily an infectious ear worm and delightfully loose fretwork doodling.
Musically and thematically, it’s easy to draw comparisons between this record and the work of acts such as Martha, Supermilk and even The Homeless Gospel Choir. Whilst this brand of homecooked and exposed indie-punk is basically inherently agreeable, the charm, hope and dominating sense of inclusivity is what makes this such a great listen. As evidenced by the power-pop chords of the haplessly uplifting ‘Everything You Learned To Love You Lost’, the sense of togetherness and unrelating joy is what makes this so appealing. It’s a fantastic antidote to the dejected, sardonic and just plain misery that’s been asphalted over the national contemporary music scene as of late, with even McCamley’s personal insecurities being alleviated over the span of the record by this dominating sense of joy.
Whilst Look What We Have Done may only be an experience spanning a modest eleven minutes, the sense of delight this record provides will last far much longer. With the power of elation and glee that’s abundant here, McCamley’s cartwheels over his own woes and inspires others to challenge their own fears with bright-eyed determination, together as one. Some may see this as a sampler of things to come, but it’s highly unlikely anyone will be left unwanting after receiving this dose of authentic charm and warmth.