THE music industry may be in lockdown, but Granite City four-piece Vansleep are forging ahead with the release of new material this week.

On Friday this week, the quartet unveil Acid Weather – the first single of their upcoming EP You Should Have Said Something.

Thought of as one of the most "positive" songs the band have recorded, it signals a bit of a development in sound without straying too far from the Vansleep formula.

It also marks the first of their upcoming trilogy, with Chamber and Stargazer earmarked for release later this year.

While the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has halted so many gigs and festivals, the band's singer and guitarist Kyle MacRitchie is hoping the release of some new music will set the tone for rousing performances in the summer and beyond.

He also gave The Weekender an insight into the feel of all three songs, just days ahead of Acid Weather being released to the masses.

Kyle reflects: "It's been nice to have the build-up to a single release again, it's been a wee while since have put anything out.

"[New music] is something we all need right now. So, we have that to look forward to, at least until we start gigging again. The second of the three songs is almost finished and there's plenty of time before our third track will be due out."

He adds: "Acid Weather is still us, but definitely a bit happier out of the tunes we have put out. It is similar, but a more thought out, more mature and better produced.

"It's a positive song, definitely the most positive that we have put out – it has a feel-good vibe; a summer vibe.

Alloa and Hillfoots Advertiser: Vansleep playing live. Picture by Hannah Power PhotographyVansleep playing live. Picture by Hannah Power Photography

"Our second single, called Chambers, will go in the complete opposite direction. It's a bit moody and has a bit of a post-punk feel to it; very atmospheric.

"It's probably our favourite of the three, to be honest, and we're pretty excited to put that one out.

"The last one is called Stargazer – it's more similar to Chambers and it's a bit moody. And it's a longer piece, with a lot of segments in it and it dips in and out.

"When we first took that song to our producer it was around six minutes long and not very single-like at the time. We had to chop that one down, so it's gone through a few revisions.

"It's hard to describe it, though some people have said it sounds like a Bond theme – so it has that kind of feel. So, definitely a bit different."

The three tracks will be arranged together as an EP – You Should Have Said Something.

The band are likely to host some kind of release show, but the ongoing Covid–19 situation leaves very little room for forward planning.

Kyle adds: "We liked the idea of having a long title for it – something to make you wonder a bit.

"It was one of the lyrics of a song we were playing around the summertime; we never took that song much further, but we like the sound of it.

"It always resonated with me, it was quite a fitting title to round up the tracks."

Acid Weather will be available to stream this Friday.

LISTEN: Vansleep on Spotify