Seán R. McLaughlin & The Wind-Up Crows landed on my radar last year and immediately scored a spot on my coveted “albums of the year” list through Goodnight, Lad. Union Street is the first music I’m sharing from them since, and it’s got a high bar to clear.

By Graeme Smith

It does it with ease, giving us a wistful and nostalgic folk arrangement that’s given some meat through its fiery, amusing storytelling lyrics inspired by a street-corner scrap in Aberdeen. As the first verse unfolds, it builds in stature, quickly becoming anthemic.

McLaughlin’s Scottish-tinged vocals are full of charm and character as always. They’re ably backed by the band, who deliver a textured and nuanced composition that unfolds inevitably but nonetheless excitingly.

Originally from the tiny island of Bressay, McLaughlin began as an indie-rock artist with his band Dante. It seems with the Wind-Up Crows that he’s truly found his sound, bringing together Americana, traditional Scottish folk, and modern pop-rock.

Unusually, the band have parted ways with Spotify for their latest release. “I’ve always had a love-hate relationship with Spotify,” says McLaughlin. “It’s great for discovery — I don’t personally use it, but I know people have found us there. It’s also a horrible social-media-style platform where artists are given numerical value — followers, streams — as if that’s what counts in art…. It also pays next to nothing, and users’ subscription fees are now directly funding weapons investments. I’ve never been comfortable with the platform, but this is the straw that broke the camel’s back for us.”

So, Union Street can instead be found on Bandcamp, Apple Music, and YouTube. You can listen to it below.