Lacuna are a band rooted in Glasgow, shaped by community and driven by their instinctive trust in each other. “I remember it was really cold and dark when ‘Nest’ was born” Lacuna write on the EP.
“Emily and I were mucking about with our mics… while we were trying to sound like ghosts the rest of the band began to lock into this jam… I remember looking at Sean, Will and Jack realising what immaculate vibes they had created. We added harmonies and sparse lyrics, and from that Nest was made.”
In signature Lacuna style, ’Nest’ opens with a near whisper. “Its on fire”, Emily half sings and half speaks. The opener and title track of Lacunas latest EP offers an 80’s gothic horror twist on their classic sound. It unfolds slowly at first, then comes crashing in. Textures bloom gradually: soft vocals, carefully layered instrumentation and a sense of restraint.
Themes of home and family run deeply through of Lacuna’d discography; ‘Sister Sister’ offers a tender moment, reflecting on childhood and family with soft intimacy. The song feels as though it’s been carried around for years before finding its final shape. When Amy’s saxophone enters, the track gradually grows in scale.
Lacuna’s introspection is often balanced by warmth and subtle humour. ‘Checkerboard Man’ carries the spirit of classic soft-rock storytelling: a rolling groove, a sense of motion and four part vocal harmonies. The bassline carries a playful insistence, grounding the song, but allowing the vocals to drift. There’s an unmistakable Fleetwood Mac influence sonically and emotionally, the lyrics hinting at the hope of sustaining a creative life, the recurring image of the “checkerboard man” suggesting an unpredictable force that cannot be controlled.
Closer‘Magpie’ has lingered in my mind since I heard it live for the first time almost a year ago, in January at King Tuts. It is a quiet but devastating internal reckoning, collecting fragments and memories with the lyrics creating a sense of exposure and intimacy. Musically, the tension peaks as layered harmonies rise into wordless birdcalls, a live experience that is haunting and visceral and cathartic. This is well translated onto the EP recording.
‘Nest’ is Lacuna at their best. They are precise, quietly intense and deeply felt. Much like their live performances, the magic lies in control and connection. As Lacuna step away from Crowded Flat and into a new era of independence, ‘Nest’ feels like a homecoming.
