The XCERTS have announced their new album, Learning How To Live And Let Go

THE XCERTS have announced that their new album, Learning How To Live And Let Go, will be released on August 18 via UNFD.

The news follows two recent new bangers from the Scottish-via-Brighton alt.rock trio, including Ache, featuring a guest spot from mate and Architects frontman Sam Carter. To celebrate, they've released a third newie along with the news, titled Jealousy.

"Jealousy was the last song written for the record and I’m so glad it made the cut," says singer/guitarist Murray MacLeod. "I took a lot of inspiration from Hole and Weezer and was looking for an arena-ready, alt rock number that took heavy influence from the '90s but wanted to pull the rug from people’s feet during the outro. We thought it would be cool to ditch the guitars at the end and add 808s instead of going down the more traditional route.

"Lyrically, it’s very much rooted in ego, pride and ‘doom-scrolling’. I didn’t think I was a jealous guy until I was involved in a tremendously unhealthy situation with a partner. Couple that with spending too much time on the Internet, and all hell breaks loose!"

Explaining the whole thing, Murray says the album's wider theme came from a period of having a good time all the time to deal with the end of a bad relationship, and learning to rebalance yourself.

"The album is rooted in drama, ego, love, lust, despair, alcohol, euphoria, anxiety, comedy, modern living, sex and friendship but the overarching theme is that of acceptance," he says. "I was involved in a prolonged toxic relationship and the fallout from that when it came to a head, led me to indulge in a pretty fuzzed-out lifestyle to deafen the noise in my head. Don’t get me wrong, I had a blast at times, but breaking point wasn’t enough, I needed more of the unhealthy and as many recreational distractions as I could get.

“When I kind of came to after this period in my life, I didn’t walk away from it with a huge Hollywood-esq epiphany, I just felt somewhat quietly healed," he continues. "The album isn’t about letting go of one person, relationship, or situation in particular it’s about learning how to live without feeling like a prisoner in your own skin and learning how to let go of the parts of you that cling on desperately, only to simmer and hurt.

"Don’t get me wrong, I’m deeply flawed but self-acceptance and letting life ride is my key to finding inner peace and that exists somewhere between calm and chaos…maybe?"

THE XCERTS play 2000trees festival on July 7, and Inverness' Belladrum Festival on the 29th. They hit the road properly in autumn.

Catch them at...

October

Southampton The Joiners, 3
Exeter Cavern, 4
London Lafayette, 5
Norwich The Waterfront Studio, 7
Birmingham Hare & Hound, 8
Leeds Brudenell Social Club, 9
Manchester The Deaf Institute, 11
Newcastle Xerox, 12
Aberdeen Lemon Tree, 13
Glasgow St Luke’s, 14