Dante

Dante

Dante have a Shetland connection with both Seán McLaughlin and Vicky Gray being brought up in Shetland. The band have been releasing music for almost a decade, beginning with 2009s Monochrome EP, the critically acclaimed Wake (LP, 2013), a string of singles, and, I Wear Your Weight with Mine (2018).

Never afraid to blur the boundaries between genres, The Herald stated that the band “exist on the hyphen between indie-folk” setting “…the bar high for for the hybrid, adding post-rock atmospherics and evocative lyrics”. Singer/songwriter Seán McLaughlin has worked with Idlewild’s Rod Jones on a number of projects and is becoming recognised as one of Scotland’s most accomplished songwriters.

Growing up on the island of Bressay in Shetland, there is a sense of solitude and introspection to McLaughlin’s writing, and the themes of his songs are obviously influenced by this rural landscape. Seán is also the first ever life member of the Shetland Folk Festival (given as birthday present from the Festival committee in 1985).

The band’s new record was produced by Frightened Rabbit’s Andy Monaghan, mastered by Howie Weinberg (Nirvana’s Nevermind) and features artwork by Tracy Maurice (Arcarde Fire) and is released on Stitch Records (9th March 2018).