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Artillery Saints Returns With New Album ‘Glimpse’ — A Cinematic, Darkly Witty Evolution of Ally McKenzie’s Avant-Pop Vision
Artillery Saints, the brainchild of Scottish musician Ally McKenzie, is stepping into its most ambitious chapter yet with the forthcoming 2025 album ‘Glimpse.’ Expanding on the textured, cinematic avant-pop sound that has earned the project critical praise and a devoted cult following, McKenzie pushes his artistry into bold new territory while retaining the clever, blackly comic lyricism that defines his work.
From Rediscovery to Reinvention
After early ventures with the ’90s indie band Fly and the 2000s electronic group Cities People And Parks, McKenzie’s creative resurgence began unexpectedly after lockdown — sparked by a gleaming Epiphone guitar in a shop window. That moment rekindled his passion for songwriting and experimentation. With bass, synths, and Ableton Live joining his toolkit, Artillery Saints emerged as a vessel for his renewed artistic curiosity: electronic, eccentric, and deeply personal.
The Lead Single — “Control & The Cousins”
The album’s lead single, ‘Control & The Cousins,’ offers a razor-sharp, sardonic look into the chaotic ascent of a fictitious rock band navigating the unforgiving music industry, summed up by the biting line:
“To get to the stage we had to sneak through the back door.”
Driven by a hypnotic bassline, sparse synth textures, jagged machine-gun guitar bursts, and an eerie, lingering chorus, the track captures McKenzie’s signature blend of dark humor, surreal narrative flair, and avant-pop finesse. It’s both theatrical and understated, a magnetic introduction to the world of ‘Glimpse.’
The Album — ‘Glimpse’
With ‘Glimpse,’ Artillery Saints widens its lens, merging futuristic electronic production with natural, organic textures. The album builds on the twisted pop and blackly comic sensibilities of past releases like “Maneki-Neko” and “Fixed Grin Of A Wallpaper Star,” but breaks open a more cinematic, exploratory sound.
Across eleven inventive tracks, McKenzie fuses avant-pop precision with woodwinds, ambient sound design, jazz-infused elements, and dystopian storytelling. Highlights include:
• High-Rise Sun Tribe — a lyric-less, quasi-classical opener that sets a grand, atmospheric tone.
• Jelly Legs — hypnotic blend of bass pulses, jittery percussion, sci-fi synths, and earthy sax, telling the tale of an adventurer lost in parallel dimensions.
• Beauty Retreat — a sharply satirical depiction of the Gaza Strip reimagined as a Trumpian “Vegas of the Middle East.”
• Hick In Suburbia — deceptively sweet pop disguising a bitter revenge fantasy.
• House Mother Console & Glister — experimental ambient excursions that hint at exciting future possibilities for the project.
While listeners may detect echoes of Brian Eno, Roxy Music, Magazine, John Foxx, and Japan, McKenzie’s voice remains unmistakably his own: home-recorded, emotionally rich, technically meticulous, and often delightfully surreal.
About Artillery Saints
Rooted in Aberdeen, Scotland, Ally McKenzie draws from a diverse artistic upbringing. With family influences in organ and piano, early fascinations with literature, art, and film, and an English Literature degree from Sunderland University, his work reflects a deep curiosity about culture, human behavior, and the absurd beauty of modern life.
Outside of music, McKenzie finds inspiration in cycling, nature walks, photography, and cinema — passions that subtly shape the visual and atmospheric world of Artillery Saints.
‘Glimpse’ stands as McKenzie’s most immersive and creatively fearless project yet — a surreal, cinematic journey through contemporary anxieties, dark humor, and vivid imagination.
Artillery Saints Music on Spotify
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