Six years since the release of their critically acclaimed debut album, Oh! Enlightened!, Edinburgh based Delta Mainline make their return with a spellbinding new single ‘Folk Stories & Fairytales’. Mixed by Paul Savage (Mogwai, Franz Ferdinand, Teenage Fanclub) ‘Folk Stories & Fairytales’ is the lead track from the sextet’s forthcoming second album, Bel Avenir, penned for release May 3.

‘Folk Stories & Fairytales’ is a hazy ensemble of electronic and analogue parts, with synths and drum machines crashing lovingly against real drums. An old Rhodes piano loops through a Roland Space Echo, anchoring the track to a lulling, laid back vocal, until a controlled crescendo sends the listener into a beautiful orbit. The track reaches a spine-tingling, fuzzed-up peak as the band are joined by a choir, mellotrons and old analog synths to create a wonderful, menacing cacophony.

Speaking about the track, songwriter and vocalist David McLachlan explained: "The second album was four years in the making. Our original goal was to record and mix 11 songs within a few months, but the very opposite happened. Songs were scrapped, members left, and we seriously questioned ourselves and the point of continuing. We had a rough idea of what we wanted to create and for this to happen we needed to develop and change. We started again without timescales and boundaries; ‘Folk Stories & Fairytales’was the first song that we worked on after the initial dark period. It explores the tensions in relationships that push you to the edge of your emotional limits. The central theme is about accepting people for who they are and understanding your own emotions for the better."

Dubbed as "gloriously out of step with the rest of Scottish music", Delta Mainline’s unique mix of dream pop, shoegazing soundscapes, electronic experimentation, and psychedelia-infused garage rock has brought widespread critical acclaim, plus invitations to perform with the likes of Moon Duo, Micah P. Hinson, Jane Weaver, Elephant Stone, The Warlocks and The Telescopes.

Recorded primarily across Chamber, Chem19 and Castlesound Studios (with additional sessions at Govan Town Hall and a cottage in the Scottish Highlands), Delta Mainline confess to pushing themselves close to financial and emotional ruin though the making of their second album, but triumphantly resurface with a breathtaking record.

Upcoming live dates

The Voodoo Rooms, Edinburgh Saturday April 20th (Album Launch party)

The Caves, Edinburgh Saturday June 1st

More dates TBC 

After running two successful rock camps in 2017 and 2018, Girls Rock Dublin returns with a camp for 12-17-year-old girls and gender non-binary folks. The five-day event will be hosted in premium Dublin music facilities Sound Training College and Temple Lane Studios, and will be run by an all-woman team including musicians and music professionals active in the local independent music scene.

Applications are now open for the 2019 Girls Rock Dublin camp, running this Summer from June 25 to 29, the camp provides a positive, non-competitive environment where 20 campers will get to express themselves through a unique programme that combines music tuition, collaborative workshops and a refreshing DIY spirit.

>  20 Campers: 5 days

>  Form a band; Write a song; Learn an instrument; Perform on stage!

>  Previous music experience not required

All details and registration at www.girlsrockdublin.com/camp

“Launched in 2016, volunteer-led organisation Girls Rock Dublin (GRD) runs summer camps and events aimed at growing girls’ self-esteem through music creation and performance. Our events are for, and run by, people who self-identify as female (trans and cis) or gender non-binary. Providing workshops and technical training, we create leadership opportunities, cultivate a supportive community of peers and mentors, and encourage social change and the development of life skills. GRD is part of a global movement (Girls Rock Camp) that brings this type of camps in more than 100 cities around the world. Music is the means through which the movement seeks to create a positive impact at both a personal and a community level.

GRD values diversity: young people from socially underrepresented groups are encouraged to sign up. Ten scholarships will be granted to applicants from Direct Provision and low-income households.

Girls Rock Dublin is proudly sponsored by Dublin City Council, IMRO, Sound Training College, Temple Lane Studios, MusicMaker, Damn Fine Print, Reverb.com.

Our 2019 plans include a Ladies Camp (18+ y.o.) scheduled for the October bank holiday, and the launch of the GRD Gear Library, our gear loan program for teenagers run in partnership with Dublin Public Libraries.”