Credit – Katy Mitchell
Decade, an indie rock outfit from Aberdeen have quickly gained a reputation as an act to follow since forming in 2025. A year into their career they’ve released ‘Athens’, a moody downtempo tune that hints at the band’s grittier side.
Structured around the destruction of Greece’s most illustrious city, ‘Athens’ has a suitably heavy tone that sounds like the end of the world. Among these dire sounds is Brandon Martin’s gentle vocals that pair excellently with Fin Clark’s wailing lead guitar.
The Spaghetti Western-esque opening chords establish the vast soundscape that Decade plays with. Sure it’s your classic; vocalist, lead and rhythm guitarists, bassist, and drummer combo, but what makes ‘Athens’ special is how each of these instruments is mixed. Above everything there is the lead guitar, guiding the destruction. Next is the vocals giving colour to the soundscape, then there’s the bass thumping along like an unstoppable earthquake. And you can’t forget about Ollie Serle’s apocalyptic drums.
But what stuck out to the most throughout the song is the acoustic guitar which brings forth the chaos, and subsequently ends the track on a somber note. It’s a touch that could be lost in how exciting the other elements of the song are, but it gives a last jolt of hope that all is not lost.
If you’ve ever imagined what the fall of a civilization would sound like, Decade gives the clearest illustration of that through ‘Athens’. With three singles under their belt now it’s not hard to see that these five lads are gearing up for something big soon!
