Fright Years

There's something in Fright Years' sound that could only come from Edinburgh: the stone, the weather, the beauty, the weight of everything that's happened here. The four-piece make guitar-driven indie rock that turns personal pain into something universal and cathartic. Since forming in 2021, Jules Kelly, Harrison MacLeod-Bonnar, Struan Blacklock, and newest member Fraser Charleson, have built a reputation for powerful live shows and a fast-growing fanbase to match. Now, with new music and a new label behind them, they're stepping into their next chapter.

Fright Years draw on the emotional weight of 90s alt-rock, 80s post-punk and new wave, and modern indie, with touchstones including Wolf Alice, Simple Minds, The Killers, and Yeah Yeah Yeahs. At the centre is Kelly's remarkable vocal, shifting effortlessly from raw and intimate to soaring and anthemic. If Florence + The Machine have ever stirred something deep in you, Fright Years are the next band you need to hear.

Since releasing their debut EP S t i l l L i f e in March 2025, Fright Years have sprung into the public consciousness with TV placements, radio play, and sold-out shows across the UK. The five-track release, produced by Theo Verney (English Teacher, Lime Garden), features Radio 1-backed singles S t ars, O b st acl es, and A f t ersun, alongside D o W h at Y ou W anna, named BBC Introducing Scotland's Track of the Week. The EP earned critical acclaim for its lyrical vulnerability and sonic ambition, transforming deeply personal reflections on loss, grief and identity into something universal and cathartic.

"The record is about trying to hold on to beauty and meaning when things fall apart," says frontwoman Juliette Kelly. "It was written during a time of real loss, but there is hope in it too."

Now the band return with new single D ye S t ar, the second single from their yet-to-be-announced new EP, and a statement of real intent to become the next name out of Scotland's guitar scene. D ye S t ar finds Fright Years expanding their sound with playful confidence, working with producer Pete Hutchings (Nothing But Thieves, Royal Blood, Gang of Youths) to realise their sonic ambitions. Kelly turns the search for identity into something physical: the small moments where life begins to make sense after looking for so long. Driving verses build to a soaring, widescreen chorus that will be this autumn's earworm, a song built equally for the drive home alone and for a festival crowd singing it back.

The band have built their reputation the old-fashioned way, getting out on the road and winning rooms night by night. Sold-out headline shows across the UK, a euphoric set at TRNSMT Festival, and stages shared with Ellur, Twin Atlantic, and Over Pass. Next up, a UK tour across November, taking them to their biggest rooms yet.