Long time favourites The Last Battle release the latest single from their stunning sophomore album Lay your Burden Down. It’s the album’s opener ‘None Of That’ which is backed with another version and a cover of Joe Esposito’s ‘You’re The Best’ from The Karate Kid. It’s out tomorrow and you can stream the tracks above and buy it from tomorrow.

There’s also a rather fine video for the song, featuring Scott and Caroline:

The Last Battle -‘Lay Your Burden Down.’ (Beard Of Truth)

Edinburgh’s The Last Battle, formed from the ashes of Thieves In Suits, managed the impressive feat of releasing their debut album Heart Of the Land, Soul Of The Sea a year to the day since their first gig. It was a stunning album, and the final ‘Soul Of The Sea’ remains one of the most beautiful songs ever to grace this scribe’s ears.

In the intervening years, there have been singles, EPs (check their bandcamp pageand line-up changes, but the thing that remains on their sophomore album is the vision of songwriter Scott Longmuir. The band have gigged with the likes of King Creosote, Withered Hand, Kid Canaveral, Meursault and eagleowl (if these names mean nothing to you, then for shame!). Without wishing to undersell their debut, that was a gorgeous lo-fi folk record; here they’ve worked with an outsider producer and shown that polish needn’t be a bad thing. It’s got the essence of The Last Battle but The Last Battle Version 2.0 shows that they can look to other influences without losing the sense of what it is that they are about.

Thus ‘You & Me’ shows a Vaselines’ influence, while ‘The Crunching’ shows drummer Liam O’Hare drawing on hip-hop influences. Another interim cover was Warren G’s ‘Regulate’ which they pulled off with aplomb, along with their take on Nirvana’s ‘Pennyroyal Tea.’ ‘Perfecting The Art (Of Saying Nothing’ and ‘Wherever Our Feet Take Us’ have already done the rounds as singles, and the end result is an album that is a confident leap on from their debut.

For too many years, Edinburgh has been perceived as playing second fiddle to Glasgow. No longer -and with their sophomore album, The Last Battle lead the charge. And as for a third album, in your own time, guys and girl, in your own time.

****1/2

Lay Your Burden Down is out on Beard Of Truth on May 5.

It’s been a long time coming – but The Last Battle’s sophomore album Lay Your Burden Down will be released on May 5 through Beard Of Truth.

I’ll write a review next week, but for the meantime you should be aware that there are two launch gigs taking place next week.

The first takes place on May 1 at Glasgow’s THe Roxy 171 with support from solo sets from Meursault and Randolph’s Leap (I’ve championed both these acts on the blog over the years, so if you haven’t been paying attention, now is the time to put this right), The second takes place on May 2 with support from J Wright Presents and Lidh at The Liquid Rooms. It will unquestionably be awesome.

And you can stream the album in its entirety below.

The Last Battle will be releasing their long-awaited sophomore album, Lay Your Burden Down on May 5. I have heard it and it’s excellent.

The tracklisting is as follows:

1. None Of That
2. You & Me
3. Breathe Bones
4. The Crunching
5. Perfecting The Art (Of Saying Nothing)
6. Cocoons
7. Wherever Our Feet Take Us
8. Spreading Wings, Taking Flight
9. Torness

There are two gig launches taking place, one in Glasgow and one in Edinburgh

As of today they have made ‘Breathe Bones’ available to download FOR FREE!

You can pre-order it from their bandcamp or you could ask your local Record shop to stock it… Whatever you do, buy it, and give them the same level of exposure that the likes of bands like Meursault and Withered Hand enjoy…

I posted this last year, but I figured that blog friends The Last Battle deserved another shout out.

This was their free EP that came out last Christmas featuring their very special cover of ‘Stay Another Day’ by East 17 and two of their own songs…

Now, as you’ve probably noticed, 17 Seconds Records is winding down – and The Last Battle are in the process of readying their second album to put out. Read all about their fundraising for putting their awesome sophomore album out here, go and pledge your support!