Glimpse by Artillery Saints: A Mesmerizing Leap Into Twisted Pop and Sonic Storytelling
On Glimpse, the forthcoming album from Artillery Saints, Scottish songwriter and producer Ally McKenzie achieves what so many strive for but few accomplish: he reinvents his own musical language while remaining unmistakably himself. This new record, set for release in 2025, extends a cinematic invitation into a landscape of dark wit, warped pop sensibilities, and razor-sharp observations on contemporary life.
If McKenzie’s trajectory—from the guitar-driven indie of Fly in the ‘90s to the electronic explorations of Cities People and Parks—suggested an artist restlessly searching for his sound, Glimpse finds him fully arrived. The genesis of this transformation is rooted in both personal loss and creative rebirth. After a period of silence, it was a fateful Epiphone guitar in a shop window—purchased with inheritance from his late mother—that reignited the artist’s spark. The subsequent journey through bass, synths, and digital production tools has resulted in a work that feels at once intimate and grandiose.
From its first moments, Glimpse asserts its difference. The opening track, “High-Rise Sun Tribe,” eschews lyrics in favor of moody, quasi-classical atmospherics, immediately drawing the listener into McKenzie’s immersive world. This album is not content to follow trends; instead, it carves out its own path, weaving together avant-pop, electronic experimentation, and natural textures with deliberate intent.
The lead single, “Control & The Cousins,” perfectly encapsulates the spirit of the record. Here, McKenzie turns his sardonic eye to the pitfalls and absurdities of the music business, spinning the tale of a fictitious band sneaking through the metaphorical back door. It’s equal parts hypnotic and unsettling: tight, pulsing basslines snake around jagged guitar blasts, while the chorus haunts and lingers. The track’s dark humour and surreal storytelling are classic Artillery Saints, filtered through a more mature and complex sonic lens.
Elsewhere, Glimpse proves just as daring. Songs like “Jelly Legs” revel in a mesh of sci-fi synths and skittering drums, with earthy saxophone riffs grounding a storyline about fractured realities. “Beauty Retreat” strikes harder, turning geopolitical tragedy into a dark satire with a vision of the Gaza Strip as a garish tourist playground. Even the more melodic offerings—such as “Hick In Suburbia”—smuggle poison into their sweetness, hiding narratives of revenge and social critique beneath glittering pop surfaces.
The album’s ambient tracks, including “House Mother Console” and “Glister,” broaden the scope further, creating dynamic interludes that suggest McKenzie is unafraid to let his curiosity lead him into new, uncharted territories. The production throughout is polished yet personal, maintaining a handmade feel despite its technical sophistication.
Comparisons to legends like Brian Eno, Roxy Music, and John Foxx are well-earned, but they only partly capture what makes Glimpse compelling. McKenzie’s English Literature background and affinity for art and film are evident in every turn of phrase and musical shift. His songwriting is poetic without pretense, his sense of satire both cutting and compassionate.
Glimpse is ultimately a triumph—an album that balances intelligence and emotion, darkness and light, vintage influences and forward-looking sounds. Artillery Saints have delivered their most ambitious and rewarding work to date, cementing Ally McKenzie as a fiercely original voice at the intersection of pop subversion and sonic adventure. For listeners hungry for pop music that dares to challenge and enchant in equal measure, Glimpse is already essential.